The Dark Angel series
by aedan cameron
Summary: Erik is a real boy and Ron never got to tell Kim how she feels.  Kim and Ron are being stalked by a ninja benefactor.  Ron's Mystical Monkey Power is beginning to rise in him, demanding to be used.  I ignore the events of season 4.  Rongo
1. Chapter 1: An Unlikely Angel

This is an introduction/redefinition of a character for my story series: An Unlikely Angel. It continues the story of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable (mainly Ron) after the end of the third season. I will attempt to post a new chapter about once a week.

* * *

A dark shape stood in front of the glowing screen, clad in a black ninja outfit. "Yes Dr. Director, I understand, I will take the assignment."

The voice of Dr. Director came back over the screen, "I will see that you are amply rewarded."

"Just wire the money to my account," said the ninja clicking off the screen. Time was of the essence if she didn't want to blow her cover.

* * *

"Hey KP! Wait up!" Ron hollered running up to Kim. Cheer practice had gone especially well, everyone was getting the new routine down. Ron hadn't even soaked anyone with his mad dog foam. It didn't hurt that Bonnie was out with a cold. "Are we going to hit Bueno Nacho or what?"

"Sure thing Ron, just let me put up my books. How much homework do you have today?" Kim said smiling at the blond running up to her.

"None! Booyah!" he said throwing his arm into the air. "Today has been perfect!"

"STOPPABLE!" yelled a figure stepping out from a nearby classroom, "No yelling in the halls. You know what this means… ."

"Yes Mr., Barkin, extra homework," he said dejectedly.

"Extra homework." Mr. Barkin handed a few pages to Ron and walked away down the hall to catch another student.

Ron looked down at the pages, "Aww, man… Math. This tanks." He shoved the papers into his backpack as they walked out of the doors to Middleton High.

"Well the extra practice won't hurt. We have that big test by the end of the week," said Kim with a hopeful smile. Ron just looked sighed.

* * *

Down the street a man giggled quietly from an upper window of a cramped warehouse building. He fiddled with a few knobs on his newly acquired blaster ray. Lining up the sights he took aim at his targets. Kim Possible and her sidekick had never done anything to him, and after today they never would. He was going to take care of them before he hatched his evil scheme. A slight thud disturbed him from his work and he turned around quickly. A quick scan of the room showed nothing out of the ordinary. "Probably a rat," he muttered. "Where was I? Oh yes, I was about to obliterate Kim Possible." His chuckle was cut off as a black clad arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him away from the window. He flailed trying to get away and the ninja quickly twisted snapping his neck. The man slumped to the floor as she switched off the blaster ray and removed the power supply. She reached a pouch on her side and pulled out a small hand held device, not unlike Kim's communicator.

"The job is done, we need a cleanup crew here. No problems," she said glancing out the window at the two friends walking down the street. Her eyes hardened as a grimace overtook her covered face. Jealousy welled up inside her, jealous of their friendship, their optimism, their missions, their lives. She looked down at the body on the floor, jealous of their innocence. She fought back a tear beggining to well in her brown eyes. "Damn dusty air," she cursed under her breath.

"Affirmative, return to your previous assignment. Global justice thanks you for your assistance with this matter," said a snide young voice over the communicator.

"Sometimes I hate this job," she muttered after turning off the unit.

* * *

"Come on Ron. Cheer up! I'll buy you a naco, grande sized," Kim said patting him on back.

"Badical!" Ron said flashing his goofy grin. "It's just two pages of math, no big. Nothing could harsh on my day!" They made their way into Bueno Nacho.


	2. Chapter 2: Fate Make a Twist

This is a reiteration of what happened in So the Drama with new content added in to deviate from the Disney story line. I skipped alot of the events that were shown in So the Drama and referred to it only to show what I had changed or to express the characters thoughts and feelings. So if you haven't watched So the Drama you aught to before you read this! Hope you like it!

* * *

"So Ron, how'd you do?" Kim asked, opening her locker.

"Huh?"

"On the test," she said raising her eyebrows. "You know, the one you just took?"

"Oh, yah KP. I think I did alright." The screen in Kim's locker lit up, showing Wade sipping on a slurpstir.

"What's the sitch Wade?" KP asked, pulling out her backpack.

"How do you feel about taking a trip to Tokyo?"

"I've got a game to cheer at tonight Wade, is it important?"

"It's Mr. Nakasumi, he thinks someone is going to try to kidnap him from the Tokyo Toy Festival. I've checked it out and think he may be on to something."

"Badical! We can pick up Zombie Mayham 4 while we're there. It's premiering at the festival," Ron said excitedly.

"I suppose Wade," Kim said with a sigh. "I'll let the squad know I can't make it to the game."

"No need for that Kim. Mr. Nakasumi is sending his jet to pick you both up in the morning, the festival isn't until tomorrow."

"Thanks Wade," Kim said shutting the locker.

"Well Kim, you going to keep the squad waiting forever or should I just start without you?" Bonnie walked up putting her hands on her hips, already in her cheerleading outfit.

"We'll be right there Bonnie," Ron stated, looking down a bit.

"Who's talking to you loser?" she glared.

"He is NOT a loser Bonnie!" Kim said glaring back at Bonnie.

"Come on KP, we need to get ready for practice," Ron said turning to go toward the gym. Kim huffed at Bonnie and followed him towards the gym, splitting up to go to their perspective locker rooms.

"Good luck at the wrestling meet Brick!" yelled Bonnie as Brick walked past her.

"Thanks, but I won't need it," Brick said walking into the locker room behind Ron. "I just need a little warm up." He cracked his knuckles.

"Ron, what took you so long?" Kim aked as he came out of the locker room.

"Sorry KP, I'm ready to start now." Ron said with a grin.

"Can you spot us? We're going to practice flips onto the pyramid." She asked turning away.

"Sure thing KP he said, just let me stretch for a minute." He grimiced as he stretched out the knots in his neck and back. At least Brick wasn't as vicious as some of the other bullies. He slammed him down and pinned him, more interested in humiliating him than in beating him up. Ron spotted while the girls finished their routine.

* * *

"Do you have all your homework Hon?" Mrs. Dr. P. asked drawing her daughter into a hug. 

"Yes mom."

"And you Ronald?"

"Yes Mrs. Dr. P." Ron said while he accepted her hug.

"You two be careful!"

"No big Mom!" Kim yelled behind her as they left the house to get on the helicopter that would take them to the airport.

* * *

"_One thing about long plane rides, it gives you plenty of time to think" _Kim thought to herself. _"Bonnie irritates me sooo much. She wouldn't be so smug about my dating prospects if she was living in New Drakkensville or serving monkeys and a genetically altered madman." _Kim sighed, _"Maybe my Mom and Monique are right, Ron is a good guy and a great friend. I should just go to the Prom with him". _She looked over to Ron, sleeping in the seat across from her, a bit of drool dangling from the corner of his mouth. 

"No monkey touch." He mumbled kicking his blanket off in his sleep. Kim picked it up and laid it back over him.

"_But is it too much to ask to have a stinking BF? Most guys are jealous of missions and the time I spend with Ron, if I could just find someone that understands…" _Kim yawned, looking down at her watch. _"Three more hours to Tokyo, I should try to get some sleep too._

* * *

The mission to Tokyo was still running through her mind as they made their way back to Middleton. _"What would Drakken want with Mr. Nakasumi?" _She fiddled with her pencil looking over her math homework. _"Oh well, he doesn't always make sense. I mean the last take over the world scheme was laughable, robotic miniature poodles? Please."_

The Nakasumi jet approached Middleton, Ron and Kim prepared to jump. "Ron, do you think we can freefall a little before you pull your chute?"

"Sure thing KP! He said hopping to get his boot on. "Whoa," he said, stumbling towards the open door. Kim gave him a little shove and he went out. She followed quickly after, a grin on her face.

They fell a couple hundred feet when Ron hollered, "It's go time!" and pulled his ripcord. His parachute opened and his homework went flying into the air around him. "AHHH! My homework!" He hollered. Nakasumi-san's assistants obviously put it in the wrong backpack.

"Serves ya right!" Kim yelled. He gritted his teeth as his homework floated down around him, scattering hopelessly. They landed lightly and began packing their chutes up.

"KP, I'll see you tomorrow before school. I have to redo all of this now," he said picking up a piece of his essay, a frown spread across his face.

"Ok Ron, see ya then!" she said walking towards her house.

* * *

"Thanks Ned," Ron said half-heartedly, picking up his tray and heading over to his usual booth. It was Saturday night and he was alone. Normally Kim and he would be hanging out, doing something. That was before Erik showed up. Now he scarcely saw Kim anymore. She rode to school with Erik, ate with Erik, went to the movies with Erik, she was always with Erik. He sighed looking down and his food suddenly not hungry. He just came here to see if they were here. "Rufus, you're on," he said. 

Rufus peeked his head out of Ron's pocket and scurried up onto the table rubbing his little paws together. "Cheese!" he squeaked and launched himself into the nachos. He had finished about half of them when he noticed Ron was just staring him vacantly. "Hnk, sad?" he asked.

"Yah buddy, I miss Kim. We haven't really been doing much together since they had to rescue Mr. Dr. P. from Drakken. It seems missions are all we have together anymore."

Rufus walked over and patted his hand. "There, there," he squeaked in his little mole rat voice.

"I've never been jealous of her boyfriends before, heck I even helped her go on dates! But something has changed, we're growing apart."

Rufus looked up at his friend, not sure what to do or say about this. Ron sighed and waited for Rufus to finish up. He dumped the tray and headed towards the door.

"Watch where you're walking, you almost ran into me," Bonnie growled at him as she came into the restaurant. Brick chuckled following her in.

"Oh what's wrong Ron? Kimmie doesn't have time for you anymore?" Brick teased.

"Ron Stoppable, you are such a los.." Bonnie began looking into his eyes, "er," she breathed out as she say the pain etched in there. She stopped and stared after him as he walked out the door. _"Is that really Ron? Ron Stoppable? Nothing she said usually got to him. He would just grin, sometimes laugh and move on. The words had really hurt him, shouldn't she be happy? Isn't this what she wanted? No. She wanted to knock Kim off the pedastal that everyone put her on, Ron was just a way to get at Kim. Ron had saved her twice from Gill and this is how she treats him?" _Bonnie felt like she wanted to crawl under a rock. "I'm not hungry Brick, take me home," Bonnie said in a hushed voice.

"What's wrong, is it Stoppable? Cause if it is I'll kick his ass again," Brick said with menace in his voice.

"What do you mean again?" she replied, he voice dripping with venom.

"Ummm, I push him around now and then," Brick stammered. "You know, just for fun."

"I'll walk," she said as bile rose in her throat as she walked out the door.

"Come on baby. I didn't think that you'd care, not with the way you talk to him!" Brick called from the doorway.

Ron walked past Kim's house, noticing the motorcycle parked outside. He paused and moved onward towards his house, never noticing the figure dressed in black and green hiding in the tree next door.

"Goodnight Kim," Erik said leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

Kim blushed, "Goodnight Erik," and closed the front door, wandering dreamily upstairs to her room. Erik grinned and walked to his motorcycle. He started it up and headed down the street.

Shego lept from the tree, startling Erik as she landed on the back of the motorcycle. "Lights out pretty boy," she said touching him to the head with a single spark of plasma. She grabbed the handlebars and zipped off into the night.

* * *

"Yo! Dr. D. I got the kid for you," Shego said as she walked into the laboratory, Erik draped over her shoulder. 

"Excellent Shego, the plan is coming along perfectly!" Dr. Drakken said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Strap him into the brain tap machine!" Shego moved to comply.

"What do you want little Erik for anyways Dr. D.?"

"I told you Shego, if you can't figure it out, she can't figure it out."

"Whatever," Shego grumbled walking towards the door. "If you don't need anything else I'm going to go clean up.

* * *

The black ninja finished braiding her hair and tucked it down her back, out of the way. She carefully folded the mask and wrapped it around her face so that only her eyes showed. She didn't need to hide her identity from the person she was about to talk to, but she had other things to do disguised tonight and had nothing better to do while she waited. The screen lit up the small room displaying Dr. Director's face. "What have you found out Agent Spade?" 

"Dr. Drakken kidnapped a boy by the name of Erik Groves. He is currently holding him in his lair in the Bueno Nacho headquarters building." The black ninja shifted her hips self consciously, knowing it was less information than what the director would be willing to except. "Anything more than that I can't really say. He's playing this one close to the vest, none of his goons know anything either."

"That is not good enough!" Dr. Director said in a menacing voice. "Remember our agreement. If you can't handle the situation we will have to resort to more drastic measures."

The ninja's shoulders lower in defeat, but a fire burned in her blue eyes. "I will handle it. I am going to plant the last of the explosives now. If Kim Possible fails Denver will have a nice swimming hole."

Dr. Director nodded, a bit of a smile on her face, but said nothing. The screen blanked out and shut off.

"ERRAAA!!" the black ninja lashed out with a kick, destroying a desk and sending the computer screen across the room where it lodged firmly into the wall. "The bitch thinks it's so easy." She picked up a duffle bag and walled slipped out of the room intent upon her target.

* * *

"Ugh." Ron woke up from the clothesline Shego hit him with. "_When did Shego start using moves from the GWA?" _Looking around he noticed a big nacho, burrito, chimarito, and tacadia. "Is this heaven?" He shook off the fog seeming to fill his brain and came in to focus on Kim. She was tied to a giant cactus. She began to stir and let out a groan. "KP! I thought you were down for the count." Another groan was let out from the chimarito. They both turned to see Erik in a predicament much like their own, tied up securely to a oversized Bueno Nacho advertisement. 

"Erik? Kim said hopefully her heart pulled from the brink of despair.

Erik stirred and opened his eyes. Ron looked on in confusion. "Kim.." he said weakly.

"Wha? Huh? I thought he was a synothodrone!" Ron stammered, his heart sinking."

"The blue man had me brought here. He went on and on how I was unwittingly a part of his victory over Kim and conquest over the world." Erik looked like he was at the brink of tears. "I told him I wasn't going to help him hurt you and he said I already had." "He called in a clone of me or something, said I was going to keep you to busy to stop him from his goal before it was too late." "I'm sorry Kim," he sobbed.

Ron was a little shocked at the look he saw come over the face of his closest friend. "He is so going to pay!" she said vehemently.

Rufus stuck his head up out of Ron's pocket and stretched. "Rufus!" Ron said surprised.

Kim shouted excitedly, "Rufus! You can save us!"

Rufus climbed his way up Ron's shirt and tried to chew through the ropes to no avail. Apparently Dr. Drakken had learned to buy mole rat proof rope.

"My backpack!" Kim exclaimed, noticing it on the floor between them. Rufus scurried over to it and crawled in.

"Rufus, use the lipstick!" Ron urged. Rufus dug around and came out wearing a bit of Kim's lipstick.

"The other lipstick," Kim groaned.

Rufus pulled out the laser lipstick and used it to cut through the ropes binding Kim and Ron. Kim rushed over to Erik as Ron grabbed her backpack and pulled out the dart gun that Wade had developed to shut down Dr. Drakken's system.

"Here KP," Ron said handing the dart gun over. "How do we know this Erik isn't a synthodrone too?" Ron asked sheepishly.

"Synthodrones don't bleed," Kim said pointing out at Erik's badly chaffed wrists. Kim used the laser to cut through the ropes holding Erik. He slumped forward into her arms letting out a groan. "Ron, help me get him over there," she nodded towards an office at the end of the storage room. They helped Erik walk over and Rufus made short work of the lock on the door. They laid Erik down on a couch in the office and Kim checked him over. "There's nothing serious wrong," she stated after poking and prodding a bit.

"Kim, we have to stop Drakken." Ron said quietly. _"I'm jealous. I can't believe I'm jealous at a time like this."_ Kim nodded slowly.

"Be careful Kim," Erik said, a look of concern etched into his face.

Kim gave Erik a smile as she pulled her hand from his and turned to Ron. "It's show time," she said grimly. They headed towards the stairs up from the storeroom, apparently out of the basement.

"Where do you think that the signal is?" Ron asked.

"From that control tower." Kim said pointing out the skylight at the tower protruding from the top of the building.

"Oh. Good call. So what's the plan?" _"Smooth Ron, smooth."_

"We find a way to the roof and disable the tower. After that we'll have to see," Kim said, glancing back at Ron.

They wandered through the building looking for a way to the roof. "It looks like there is no way KP, we're going to have to go through the control room."

"Right. Can you distract them until I get to the roof Ron?"

Ron nodded grimly, "I'll give you all the time that I can."

They could hear Drakken and Shego talking in the other room. "Nakasumi's toy design. And dear Daddy Possible's  
cybertronic breakthrough. And to really stick a pin in it,  
one made-to-order syntho-hottie." Drakken began to laugh manically.

"Wait, so you weren't just making it up as you went along?" Shego asked as Kim cracked the door open.

"And you questioned my research." Drakken gloated.

"The slumber parties?!"

"Ah, ah!" Drakken began, waving his finger. "But I discovered Kim Possible's weakness." He clasped his hands together and fluttered his eyelids mockingly. "Boys, boys, boys! Who should I go to the dance with? Who's the perfect boy?"

Kim pushed the door in and advanced on Dr. Drakken. "You're right, Drakken. Boys, dating, it's hard. But this, is easy!" She drove her fist into his jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"Shego!" Drakken yelled to his sidekick for help. She dove at Kim and was thrown into the wall stunned. She shook the cloudinees off and leapt to her feet following Kim who was already racing to the roof.

Ron faced off against the Erik drone, cracking his knuckles. Anger shown in his eyes as he stepped forward. "Syntho-dude, you are going down!" Syntho-Erik took a swing at him and Ron ducked into a crouch, leaping up with a kick flip that connected to Erik's jaw deforming and dislocation his head. The kick would have killed a normal man, but synthodrone #901 just grabbed his head and pulled it back into place as Ron ran up the stairs after Shego. Kim and Shego fought while Ron and Syntho-Erik took each other on. The sky above them was lit by the fires coming from the boosters of hundreds of Diablo robots flying overhead.

"I'm open!" Ron yelled when Kim couldn't get a shot with Shego fighting her, she passed the dart gun to Ron but 901 managed to kick it away.

Erik picked up the gun and kicked Ron into the wall. "Nice try, loser. And by the way, a naked mole rat is not cool, it's gross."

Ron swept Erik's legs and kicked the gun to Kim as Erik dropped it. "Don't be dissin' the Rufus." Kim threw Shego away nearly off the tower and scooped up the gun, firing it at the tower.

"NO!" yelled Drakken in despair as the dart flew towards the tower.

Syntho-Erik raced to the tower and caught the dart before it struck. "So sorry," he chuckled. Rufus snuck out from behind 901's foot.

"You know, Rufus did not appreciate that crack," Kim stated.

"The little dude holds a grudge," Ron said. Rufus's eyes glowed blue just before he sank his teeth into Syntho-Erik draining the synthogoo that allowed him to function.

"Huh? Oh, no! Noooo!" Erik groaned as he drained out and fell against the tower, activating the dart. The towers electrical windings exploded and the Diablos shrunk as they fell from the sky, clattering on the ground all around them.

"Okay, maybe she is all that," Drakken said trying to get away. Ron took him down with a scissors leg drop. "Huh?" he stated in surprise. _"The buffoon just took me down!? With ease? Ut oh.."_

A look of anger crossed Ron's face as he stood over Dr. Drakken. "Taking over the world is one thing, but you ruined Bueno  
Nacho. You are gonna pay."

"You can't be serious," Drakken stuttered.

"Note serious face."

"Please... the name escapes me. Oh, I beg of you!" _"I have a feeling we are going to play Drakken goes ouch."_

Ron glared down at him, fist clenched, "Say my name. Say it!"

"Uh... It's... oh... uh... Stoppable?" Dr. Drakken said with fear in his eyes.

Lightning flashed overhead as Ron leaned down over him. "Boooyahh," Ron said slowly.

Meanwhile Shego came after Kim one last time and Kim activated the last of the power in her suit and kicked her into the tower, causing the already damaged structure to collapse. Shego was knocked unconcious until the police arrived and bound her and Drakken up. An ambulance pulled up loaded Erik in while medics checked over Kim and Ron.

"This is not over! Oh, this can't be over!" Drakken stammered as he was put into the Global Justice van next to Shego.

Ron grinned at him, "Deal with it dude, it's over." The officer closed the doors to the van and drove off to the jail.

The medics finished up with Kim and OK'd her to go. "You have a few cuts and bruises, but that isn't a problem. You need to keep and eye on your ribs though, it looks like you took some hard hits to them. If it gets hard to breath or you have pain when breathing shallow, get it checked out."

"I'll have Mrs. Dr. P. take a look at them later," Ron sighed.

Kim turned to Ron, a bit of concern in her voice, "I'm going to ride to the hospital with Erik. Do you want to ride along?"

"Nah, KP. I'm just going to go home."

"OK. Great job tonight Ron.."

"Thanks KP, I'll see you later.."

Kim grabbed him and pulled him close, "See you later Ron."

Ron walked over to his scooter, sore and tired. He started it up and headed back to Middleton, his thoughts overtaking him. _"I didn't tell her… Again. How could I though? With her boyfriend laying there on the stretcher. Could I do that to our friendship? She has been so happy these last few weeks, even if the last one was a lie." _A tear streamed down his face and he sniffled a bit. _" Damn wind."_ Feeling reckless he fired up the rockets and sped his way down the rain-covered road to Middleton.

* * *

Well, it's onward and upward from here. 


	3. Chapter 3: Pushed Too Far

Thank you to those of you that reviewed my story thus far. Italicized text indicates the character's active thoughts. On with the show!

* * *

"Okay girl, spill. Tell all!" Monique trilled at Kim over their food. They were just sitting down at Bueno Nacho waiting for Ron to show up. 

Kim winced as she took her seat, still a little sore from her shocking ordeal late last night. "Well, they covered most of it in the news story that you saw. Ron and I went in and got captured by that Synthodrone Drakken made of Erik."

"No way girl! They didn't have that on the news!" Monique gasped.

"Yeah, I kinda left that part out when I gave my report to the police." Kim said, rolling her eyes. "He used a machine to steal Erik's memories so he could make a copy of him to keep me too occupied to see through his scheme." Monique's mouth was wide open. Kim reached over and pushed her jaw closed. "Stop, you look like Ron," she giggled.

At the mention of his name Ron walked into the door to the restaurant and limped over to their table. He put his hands on the table and grinned, "How's it going KP, Monique?"

"Hi Ron, good, though you don't look so good," Monique said with concern.

"Good Ron, how are the ribs?" Kim asked. Monique looked at Ron with raised eyebrows.

He turned to Monique; "I took a bit of a beating from Err.. I mean Drakken's synthodrone last night." He looked at Kim, "your Mom took a look and said they're just a little bruised, no big. I'm going to grab some food, be right back."

"OK Ron!" they said together as he went up to order.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda, girl." Monique said. "He fought one of those synthogoons?" she added with surprise.

"Yeah, though Rufus helped. I was as surprised as you are, especially after he captured Dr. Drakken."

"No Way!"

"Yeah, I don't know what Ron did or said to him, but he was just laying on the ground curled up as Ron stood over him. I've never seen Ron so determined looking before."_ "I wonder what did get into him. I know he was upset about Bueno Nacho and the whole synthodrone thing. But he looked, well.. Kinda dangerous, I'd have been scared too if I was Drakken." _Kim mused.

"So, how's Erik doing?" Monique asked.

"He will be in the hospital for a few days recovering, they had him on some sedatives. I think he is going to be seeing a counselor as well," Kim replied, looking somewhat crestfallen. "How was the rest of Prom? I saw Bonnie walk out on Brick, she looked ticked."

"Yah, I guess they're through again, Brick was being his usual bully self and she told him to stop. They started arguing and she walked out, he left right afterwards." Monique took a sip of her soda.

"That does not sound like the Bonnie I know," Kim said, a tone of disbelief in her voice. "What about the Diablos?"

Well, shortly after you left the power was knocked out. Mr. Barkin told everyone to stay calm and sit tight. We could hear the sounds of those Diablo robots taking over the town. You know, blocking the roadways and blowing things up. I had my cell phone with me and we gathered around and watched the news. It seems Middleton was actually spared the brunt of the attack." Monique motioned to the downed sign outside "If you hadn't taken out the broadcast tower things might have been different. There are cities all over the world that were pretty badly damaged from this attack."

"My gosh, all those people," Kim began aghast, covering her mouth with her hand.

Ron walked up to the table with a plate laden with Bueno Nacho. "Actually I heard the Diablos appeared to be programmed to preserve human life. There were casualties, but not as many as you'd think. Most of them were military that activated the self preservation programming by attacking."

"Wow Ron, where'd you come up with all that?" Monique asked.

"Well, the Ron dog does know a few things.." Ron began.

"Wade, wasn't it?" asked Kim.'

"Well, yah," Ron replied, his cheeks flushing a bit. "I just got done talking to him. He's been trying to get a hold of you KP." Ron handed her a Kimmunicator from his pocket. Hers had been fried when SynthoErik electrocuted her. "He tried to send it over, but your front yard is so packed with reporters that the delivery man couldn't get it to the front door. Or front hole, whatever you want to call it."

"Yah, my Dad called and told me not to come home this morning. Mom brought me some clothes when she came into work, I slept at Monique's this morning." She looked at Monique thoughtfully, "I wonder why the reporters haven't looked here for me?" She pressed the call button on the kimmunicator for Wade.

Monique shrugged. "I don't know girl, but you can't be on TV dressed like that!"

"What do you mean by that," Kim asked defensively.

A line of light flashed across the Kimmunicator and Wades picture appeared on the screen with his ever-present cup of soda in his hand. The background of the room was damaged with a few repairmen patching up holes in the walls.

"That green top and capris? I don't think so, not for world television," Monique replied, pointing out Kim's favorite clothes.

"You're probably right, I should get into some mission clothes," Kim stated. "Hey wade, what's the sitch?"

"The website has been flooded with thank yous and congratulations from all over the world as well as requests for help that I have been forwarding over to GJ, the Red Cross, and other organizations. There have been two film companies scrambling to get movie rights as well as numerous corporate sponsorships that are begging to provide you with transportation, equipment, lodging, even a free car if they can just say that they are helping you help others. There have even been some false distress calls from reporters that are looking for the scoop. You shouldn't need to worry about the press though. I have had a holoKim walking past the windows at your house every once and a while to keep the reporters busy until you can hold a press conference."

"Press conference!?" Kim asked flabbergasted.

"Car?" Ron said excitedly at the same time, "Score!"

"Ron, amp down. Wade, I've never had to have a press conference before, it was usually just local reporters."

"Well you do now. What you and Ron did was big time. You literally saved the whole world. Sure, you've done it before, but no one really realized it. This time it stared them right in the face."

"OK Wade, thanks," Kim said. "We really should get ready."

"OK KP, see you later," Ron said sitting down and biting into a Nacho. He tapped the side of his pocket and Rufus popped his head out sniffing the air. His drooping eyes popped open wide.

"Nacho!" Rufus squeaked, scampering up onto the table and digging in.

"I got extra cheese and grande sized for you ya little hero," Ron said rubbing Rufus on the head.

Kim just looked on, eyebrows raised. "Ron, you're coming with me, you're the other half of the we I was talking about!"

Ron choked on his naco for a moment. "They never want to talk to me anyways. And I just ordered nachos…"

"Finish up quick then, we need to grab some mission clothes from your house and have Wade schedule a time and place for us," Kim said matter of factly.

"And I will do hair and makeup!" Monique said excitedly.

"I am not wearing makeup!" Ron protested between bites.

"Oh come on Ron," Monique teased, "maybe just a little eye shadow?" Ron shook his head vigorously. "OK, but you're getting your hair done mad dog, and that's final.

Kim laughed.

* * *

The press conference went well all around. As usual the press focused mostly on Kim although they did ask Ron what it was like working with Kim on missions after she literally shoved him out in front of the podium. After the conference most of the reporters respected the wishes of the two heroes and left them alone to resume their normal lives. With all the cleanup around the Possible residence, the press conference, and Kim visiting Erik in the hospital the weekend flew right by.

* * *

"Hola Possible clan!" Ron hollered as he pushed aside the plastic covering up the now framed door, the construction workers hadn't arrived yet for the morning. 

"Hey Ron! Kimmie is in the shower, why don't you have some pancakes, I made extra." Mrs. Possible called from the kitchen.

"Sounds good Dr. P." Ron replied going into the kitchen. Jim and Tim sat at the table eating noisily. Mrs. Possible was at the stove pouring more batter the pan.

"Ron," Jim began.

"did you," Tim said after him.

"bring back,"

"our rockets?"

"Boys, don't talk with your mouths full!" Mrs. Possible chided.

"Yeah, I have them on my scooter outside. They're out of fuel though." Ron said, taking the plate of pancakes and sitting down to eat. "This is good Dr. P."

"Thank you Ronald, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Better, but they're still a little sore," Ron replied about his bruised ribs.

Kim came down the steps while Ron finished up his pancakes. "Come on Ron, or we're going to be late for school," she said, grabbing a bagel off of the counter.

"Have a good day at school kids!" Mrs. Possible called after them as they headed towards the door.

"OK Mom!" Kim hollered back.

"Thanks for the breakfast Mrs. Dr. P." Ron said waving.

"_Those two would sure make a great couple, they're already best friends."_ She looked at the photo on the counter, the one taken Prom night with SynthoErik. So like all the failed boyfriends Kim had had thus far. _"If she isn't careful someone is going to take Ron before she realizes he's right for her." _She picked up the picture and went to throw it in the trash.

Bonnie drove past the Possible house as Kim and Ron ducked under the plastic sheeting a scowl set upon her face. Brick followed behind on his motorcycle and pointed at Ron's scooter laughing. "Nice ride dork."

Kim rolled her eyes and Ron simply ignored him. "So are you going to take the car KP?" Ron asked as the walked to school.

"I don't know Ron. It would be nice to be able to drive to school and I don't really have time to get a job until summer to buy one with all of the missions that we have, but…."

"But you don't want to be like Team Impossible was, charging for missions." Ron finished for her.

"Yeah, I guess that's it."

"You don't have to KP. They aren't trying to buy mission time, they are just grateful for the missions that you do."

"That and they want to be able to say that I use their products. It just seems so.. sell outish," she said. "Besides, they are only offering one car. It wouldn't be fair to you for me to except it when you aren't getting one."

"Don't worry about me KP, I still got nacho checks coming in. I'm a millionaire baby!" Ron said with a grin.

"Wha?" Kim said, a little shocked. "And you haven't gone off the deep end again!?"

"Welllll, my Dad is kinda holding onto them. He put them in a trust fund until I turn 21. I have him half convinced to take out enough to buy a motorcycle." "And as far as sell outish goes, so not a word" he mocked, mimicking her voice. Kim rolled her eyes. "Only endorse products that you already use." Ron said shrugging his shoulders.

Kim nodded. "Well put Ronald Stoppable! Wait, were you talking to Wade again?" she asked with a grin.

"Yep, but I came up with that on my own, Wade actually agreed with me," Ron stated proudly.

They walked up the steps to the school. A reporter stepped out from behind the hedge and shoved a microphone at them, "Mrs. Possible can you please.." the reporter began.

"We have to get to class, maybe later," Kim cut her off shaking her head.

"How about you Mr. Stoppable?"

"No comment," Ron stated offhandedly as he walked into the school.

"I thought we were through with that," Kim said rolling her eyes.

"Well, that's how it is when you're a world hero," Ron grinned.

"And I suppose you're going to lord that over us too Kim," Bonnie said, walking up with her books in hand. "With all your time being spent with the media are you going to be able to handle the squad? Maybe it would be better if I took care of things at practice tonight. We do have a cheer competition coming up."

"Bonnie what exactly is your problem with me!?" Kim growled.

"Sorry Kim, I don't have enough time to go over all your issues," she snapped, "I don't want to be late to class." Bonnie blushed, her face falling a little. She turned on her heel and hurried off to class. _"Ugh! I'm doing it again. Can't you say anything civil to her? I was just going to offer her help with cheer practice if she needed it. Old habits are so hard to break."_

"Err!" Kim growled, her hands clenched and shaking slightly.

"Amp down KP," Ron said, trying to calm her.

"Is there a problem here people?" Mr. Barking stepped out from a nearby classroom.

"No comment," Ron replied offhandedly.

Kim's hand went to her mouth and Ron's eyes opened wide as they realized what Ron had just said.

"Talking back to a teacher Stoppable? You may have saved the world, but this school still has rules and Steven Barkin is going to uphold them. You know what that means."

"Extra homework?" Ron asked hopefully.

"That's right Stoppable, detention," Mr. Barkin started. He looked thoughtful for a moment, "and extra homework."

"Aww.. man" Ron said.

* * *

"_OK, the area of the cylinder would be 342 cubic inches." _Ron jotted the answer down on his 'extra' math sheet. _"There, done." _Ron looked up at the clock, there was 5 minutes left in detention. _"Good, maybe I can catch KP before she heads home from cheer practice." _Ron packed up his homework and waited for Mr. Barkin to dismiss detention. 

"OK people you can go. I hope you learned your lesson," Mr. Barkin stated, looking up from the papers he was grading.

"_Why did he say people? It's just me and Brick in here,"_ Ron thought. He picked up his books and headed towards the door.

"Outta the way Stoppable," Brick growled giving Ron a shove as they rounded the corner out of Mr. Barkin's sight. He stomped down the hallway in the same direction Ron was going. The halls were empty of people this late in the afternoon and Ron didn't think he would catch Kim. He came around the corner and grinned when he saw the familiar Middleton High cheerleading outfit. His smile disappeared when he saw it was Bonnie. Brick was talking to her. Ron went to his locker to drop off his books, he had finished his homework in detention.

"You don't just leave me like that at the biggest dance of the year!" Brick said to Bonnie angrily. "What the hell is your problem?"

"I told you I we're through. This conversation is over," Bonnie turned to leave.

Brick reached out and grabbed her arm. "I'll say when it's over," Brick said, grabbing onto Bonnie's arm. Bonnie tried to pull away and Brick increased his grip.

"Let go Brick, you're hurting me!" Bonnie said, suddenly frightened.

"Like you hurt me, leaving me like that? Brick sneered. Bonnie dug her fingernails into Brick's hand as she struggled to pull away, drawing a little blood.

Ron's eyes grew hardened as anger welled up inside of him. He knew what it was like to be picked on by Brick, to be beat up, humiliated. Sure Bonnie was no angel, but she didn't deserve this. He dropped his book bag clenching his fists. The events of the last weekend fueled his anger.

"You bitch!" Brick growled, looking at the scratch. He raised his hand to slap her only to find it caught as he pulled it back. "Wha? Stoppable?" Brick said with disbelief. "I'll deal with you in a minute," Brick sneered at Bonnie as he let go of her.

Bonnie was in a panic, she wanted to run, her mind screamed at her to run. _"Brick is going to kill him! I have to do something!"_ "Ron, run!" Bonnie urged. "MR. BARKIN!"

Brick balled up his fist and took a swing at Ron, trying to pull his other arm free. Ron ducked and pushed his shoulder into Brick, shifted his weight and threw Brick on the floor. "I'm going to smash your face in your little shit!" Brick threatened, scrabbling to his feet.

Ron's face was an emotionless mask, only his eyes betraying the anger that he felt. Brick came in with another swing and Ron sidestepped, allowing Brick's hand to dent the locker behind him. Brick grimaced in pain.

"I take on world class goons on a regular basis Brick, do you think you're going to be able to hurt me?" Ron asked, his voice void of emotion.

"You're little redhead bitch takes care of them doesn't she?" Brick quipped back.

Ron's eyes began to glow with a faint blue light as desire to hurt this man grew in him. _"How dare he insult Kim?" _Brick shot in for a wrestling take down. Ron didn't sidestep this time, instead leaping into Brick and driving his knee into his face. Brick toppled backward.

"My god, what got into Ron?" Bonnie thought as Brick toppled over. She saw Mr. Barkin race around the corner as Ron leapt onto Brick straddling him. Ron pulled back his fist as Brick raised his head weakly, arms spread out to his sides. _"Ron is going to kill him!"_ "Ron no!" she yelled.

Ron looked up at Bonnie and down at Brick, realizing what he had been about to do. He stood up shaking a little bit. Mr. Barkin reached them and pulled Ron away from Brick. "Stand over there Stoppable." Mr. Barkin said, pointing over by Bonnie. He checked over Brick, who lay there moaning. He pulled out his cell phone and called for an ambulance.

Bonnie was hugging herself and began crying a little bit. "Thanks for stopping him Ron." Mr. Barkin looked up in surprise as Bonnie stepped into Ron's shoulder sobbing as she hugged him. Ron looked a bit uncomfortable as he hugged her back.

"It's over now Bonnie, it's OK." Ron said, stroking her hair to calm her down, it always worked when Kim was upset.

"What exactly went on here?" Mr. Barkin asked quietly.

* * *

I wrote this chapter for several reasons.

One: I think Kim and Ron are not giving enough 'glory' after a successful mission, I wanted to change that. I hope I didn't go overboard.

Two: I've always thought that Bonnie was portrayed as too mean. Not that there aren't people like that out there. She just seems unreasonably mean considering the history of the show (Bonding, Return to Camp Wannaweep, Ron Millionaire, and Sink or Swim all come to mind).

Three: Ron has always been portrayed as a happy go lucky type of guy. He rarely gets upset and when he does it's never true anger. I wanted to show what I think would happen if he got pushed too far.

By the way, the blue glow to his eyes was his mystical monkey power. I was trying to correlate his desire to inflict harm with his power 'turning on'.


	4. Chapter 4: Bottled Up

Author's note: I really don't know where this all came from. I just started typing and it poured out. I would like to thank kingprawnsct, Bubbahotek, and Jerridian for their reviews. I wouldn't be writing if I didn't think that anyone was going to read it! These updates have been coming in pretty fast, but that's just because I have had the entire last week off. I can not normally keep up this pace so don't get disappointed when I can't put something up every third day! As always, italizied text is meant to refer to the character's active thoughts.

Happy reading!

* * *

Ron was doing one of the things he liked doing least of all, manual labor. Landscaping was hard work. It was Thursday and the Possible house was starting to look like it had before the Diablo attack. Ron was shoveling dirt into the giant Diablo footprints that adorned the yard. Masons were finishing up laying brick on the front of the house. Mr. Dr. P. had had some sod delivered. Ron would be getting to that next. His mother didn't really have anything for him to do around the house after he cleaned out the garage on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the weeklong suspension from school wasn't going to be a vacation for him if she had anything to say about it. Besides, her husband and her were going to be gone for business for the rest of the week and it was nice to have someone to keep an eye on him. Mr. And Mrs. Possible had always treated Ron like a son.

Ron was laying the last of the sod in the front yard when Mrs. Possible pulled in the driveway. She got out of the car and looked at the lawn, "You're doing a great job Ronald. When you finish up I'll have some lemonade ready for you in the kitchen. Then you should get cleaned up, Kimmie will be home from school soon and you will have to get started on your schoolwork."

"OK Mrs. Dr. P." Ron said with all the cheer he could muster. _"And I thought that cleaning the garage was hard," _he thought. He finished rolling out and trimming the sod and set the sprinkler timer in the garage for ten minutes. _"At least Doctors P. are happy with the repairs." _He dusted off his pants and took his muddy shoes off at the door, walking into the kitchen. A glass of lemonade was set on the counter; he took it and drank it down quickly, realizing just how thirsty he was. Mrs. Possible smiled and poured him another glass.

"Don't drink too much, you'll get a belly ache," she warned.

"Mrs. Dr. P., can I ask you a question?

"You sure can Ronald, go ahead," she replied.

"How is Brick? I know he needed to have his cat scanned, so you must know.." Ron asked quietly.

"He will be OK Ronald. He has a concussion, but the doctors were able to set his jaw and brace it. He had to have some teeth put back in, but it could have been worse." She frowned at him, her voice growing serious, "You could have killed him Ron."

"I know Dr. P., I didn't mean to hit him that hard, I just reacted," Ron said hanging his head. "I don't usually fight back, unless we're on a mission."

"It's OK to defend yourself Ron, and I think that you did what you needed to do. You just need to be careful, be aware of what could happen and the consequences. Just like you need to be aware of the consequences of not acting. If Brick had gotten a hold of you it might be you in the hospital, or Bonnie, or both of you. I know you'd defend Kimmie just as quickly and for that I am thankful."

"How is Erik?" Ron asked suddenly, uncomfortable with the subject. _"He was released from the hospital yesterday, he should be back in school today. I don't know how I'm going to be able to face him, my … distaste towards him was justified when he was a synthodrone, but now?" _

"He was released from the hospital yesterday Ronald. He's just fine, all of his scans came back with normal readings." Mrs. Possible replied with and arched eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know if he's OK, he is Kim's boyfriend after all."

"Ron," Mrs. Possible started. The front door opened and Kim came in. "Kimmie is home," she said, cut off from what she was going to say.

Kim came into the kitchen flopping a large bag of homework on the table for Ron. "Hi Mom," she said glancing to her mother. She walked over and gave Ron a hug, "Hi Ron. Whew! You stink. You better get cleaned up so you can get some work done."

"What do you think I've been doing!?" Ron replied, exasperated. He finished up his lemonade and headed to the guest bathroom to take a shower, or Ron's bathroom as the tweebs tended to call it. He showered quickly and changed into some clean clothes.

Kim was munching on a granola bar as Ron came into the kitchen. "You ready to get to work? I don't want to see you fall behind." She proceeded to lie out his assignments for him and allowed him to read through the notes that she had taken in the classes they had together. "Mrs. Hazelwurth said she will drop off the Biology test tomorrow night as long as you take it with one of my parents present."

"Awww.. That tanks!" I get kicked out of school and still can't get away from tests," Ron grumbled.

"You should be happy Ron, they are going out of their way to make sure you don't fall behind. That usually doesn't happen." Kim said flatly. "And Brick isn't getting that chance at all. He got expelled."

"Wow, I didn't know that. How is everyone at school taking it?"

"Well, the football team isn't happy. They lost their star quarterback. Everyone else is doing well though. Felix, Monique, and Erik all said to tell you hi. Even Bonnie asked about you." Kim replied.

"What? Really?" Ron asked flabbergasted.

"Yah, Monday really got to her. She hasn't been acting normal lately. I haven't heard her call anyone a loser lately, and she chewed out a senior for picking on a sophomore." Ron looked out the window quickly. Kim followed, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. "What?" she asked.

"Just checking for flying pigs," Ron said with a grin.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Enough stalling Ron, unless you want me to ask the tweebs to go over your math with you," Kim threatened with a smile.

"OK, you got me," Ron pled, holding up his hands. They dug into the pile of papers and books. Ron actually found himself enjoying himself in spite of it being homework. _"I hate homework, but this is actually fun."_ Kim was quizzing him on obscure historical figures. She'd praise him when he got the right answer and put on a fake pout when he'd get one wrong. He found himself lost gazing at her. _"She is so beautiful, so… Kim." _

"Ron, hello?!" Kim waved in front of his face. "What year did the Spanish-American war start?" _"He's distracted, but at least he seems happy today. He has been a bit moody as of late. Well, I think Brick would say that moody is an understatement. I'll have to talk to him later."_

"Oh, sorry KP, I'm just a little tired from working. 1898?" Ron replied.

"Correct potential boy!" Kim said with a grin.

"It was on that extra homework Mr. B. gave me." Ron stated happily.

"Kimmie, can you please set the table?" Mr. Possible asked from the kitchen.

"Sure Mom!" Kim called back. She looked up at Ron. "Well that was all of history, you're caught up. Now you have math. We're working on the calculations listed in the book on page 142 and 143. I can't really help you on those. I'll check them when you're gone. If you have any questions ask!" With that Kim started getting the dishes out for dinner.

_"Math, blech. I hate math. It's just the cold, hard facts. Like my life. Kim is with Erik, who is a real boy, fact. She is happy with him, fact. I think I am in love with my best friend, Kim Possible, fact." _He sighed, "I hate math."

After dinner Ron helped with the dishes and finished up his homework. Kim got a phone call from Erik and Ron had to do the unspeakable, ask the tweebs to help correct his math.

"It's simple Ron," started Jim.

"All you have to do," continued Tim.

"Is take what you know about X."

"From the right side of the equation."

"And bring it to the left."

Ron copied the number over quickly on his paper.

"Now finish the equation"

"On the left to get Y."

"Then transfer that back over"

"To the right side."

"And finish the equation."

Ron jotted and figured for a moment. "So Z is 12?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Hick a bic a boo!" Jim started, holding up a fist.

"Hoo sha!" Tim said, tapping his fist on Jim's.

"Math equations are like"

"a puzzle with rules."

"Badical!" Ron smiled, happy with himself. "OK, Rufus can test pilot for you tomorrow. Thanks guys!" Tim and Jim scampered off as Kim came into the room, talking on the phone.

"Sure thing Erik, pick me up at 6:30. No, I have to study for my SATs this weekend. Yep, the whole weekend. OK I will. See you tomorrow at school!" She pressed the button to hang up with a smile. "Hey Ron, how's the math coming?"

"I got Jim and Tim to help me with it," Ron said flatly, his smile gone, his face seeming weary.

"Oh," KP looked at him sheepishly, "I'm sorry I took so long on the phone."

"No big KP," Ron said stealing her line.

"Ron, is something bothering you?" Kim asked worriedly.

BEEP BEEP BE BEEP!

Kim grabbed the Kimmunicator out of her pocket. "Sitch me Wade." Ron leaned over her shoulder to catch a look at the screen.

Wade was at the screen looking a little uncomfortable. "Well Kim, Shego and Drakken have escaped from GJ custody."

"What!?" Kim and Ron said together.

"Um, Jinx, you both owe me a soda?" Wade said apprehensively.

"Wade, so not the time." Kim chided. "How did they escape now!? I thought you had designed special hand cuffs to keep Shego from using her plasma."

"Don't yell at me, I'm just the messenger," Wade began. "It seems the Seniors owed Shego a favor as part of their tutoring deal. She called it in. They broke them out during a top secret transfer to a more secure GJ facility." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry Kim."

"It's not your fault Wade," Kim said with a little regret. "I just wish Global Justice could hold onto prisoners for more than a week at a time."

"Yeah, this is getting a bit old." Ron said with a frown.

"Do you have any intel on where they might be?" Kim asked hopefully.

"No, I just thought I should give you guys a heads up," Wade answered. I will let you know as soon as I get anything.

"Please and thank you Wade." Kim said signing off.

"I'm really tired KP," Ron said stifling a yawn. "I'm going to turn in. Goodnight." Ron headed off to the guest bedroom intent on a good nights sleep.

"Umm, OK Ron, goodnight," she said. _"I guess I'll talk to him later."_

* * *

The next day held more work for Ron, and studying for his Biology test. 

_"This is like before Prom all over again,"_ Ron thought gloomily. He didn't get much time to spend with Kim with all his homework, his biology exam, and her date with Erik. "How do you think that I did Mrs. Dr. P.?" Ron asked after handing her his biology paper.

"It looked like you passed to me Ronald, but the essay questions are at the discretion of your teacher," Mr. Possible said with a smile.

"I'm beat, I think I'm going to bed early tonight Drs. P." Ron said with a yawn.

"You don't want to stay up with me and wait for Kimmie-cub?" Mr. Possible asked. He was poised at the edge of the couch and would get up and go to the window every time headlights came near.

"Not tonight Mr. Dr. P." I want to get up early and practice my martial arts with Kim.

"OK Ronald, goodnight." Mr. and Mrs. Possible said to Ron.

"Jinx, you owe me a kiss Timothy." Mrs. Possible said with a grin.

Ron normally rolled his eyes at these antics, but this time something welled up inside him. "Goodnight Drs. P." he said while he still had the breath to do so. He headed off to bed, tears brimming in his eyes. _"That is what I want, happiness. Friendship. Love." _He wiped his eyes._ "If I tell her how I feel I might lose all three. Can't I just have the friendship and be happy with it?" _He drifted off to sleep, trying to convince himself that he could.

* * *

The next morning his alarm woke him up before Kim. He dressed in his gi and, after shaking the dust out of it, filled his water bottle and headed into the back yard to start stretching. It was a brisk morning out and he jogged in place and did some jumping jacks to warm up. Kim came out groggily and noticed Ron standing there, sparring gear in a bag beside him. 

Ron stood there with a sheepish grin on his face. "Hey KP, I figured we could do some sparring. I think I could have pulled my weight a little better in that last mission and maybe I wouldn't have needed Rufus to help me."

"Ron! You did just fine!" Kim said, exasperated. "But I'm glad to see you trying to improve yourself." Kim grinned, "Let me get my gear on."

They moved over to the sand pit made just for this purpose and sparred for an hour. Then they went over some of the moves in slow motion. Kim was getting the upper hand and was doing more teaching than learning. Ron finished up a throw she taught him and Kim sat in the sand patting a place beside her. He flopped down beside her.

"What's wrong Ron?" she asked concerned. "You seem like you could use some of your own Ronshine. Is it the Brick sitch?"

"No, KP, it's not the Brick sitch. It's just, Umm.. Kim, we haven't been really spending much time together lately." He stopped her, "I know, I know, time to grow up. But I miss you, I miss just hanging out with you."

"We'll always be friends Ron, you know that," she said, placing her hand on his arm. "I know that I have been spending a lot of time with Erik. Maybe we call all start doing some things together." She got a little smirk on her face, "maybe double dating, I hear Bonnie is single now."

"Oh you little!" Ron said laughing, pushing her into the sand, moving in for a pin.

Kim twisted up and scissors leg tripped him, rolling to pin him to the ground. "Not this time Ron Stoppable! She giggled, helping him to his feet. "Let's get cleaned up, if I'm lucky Mom will have slept in and you can cook breakfast. Then I have to get studying."

Yeah, I have to get home after breakfast, the 'rents were supposed to get back in late last night. It was fun KP, same time tomorrow?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Sure thing Ron," she answered back with a smile.

* * *

Ron whistled happily as he walked over to the Possible household for Kim and his Sunday morning sparring session. He walked into the backyard to see Kim beginning her stretching. He set down his bag and went to join her. "Morning KP," he said. 

She let out a little yawn. "Good morning yourself. Who's idea was it to get up at this hour on a Sunday anyways?" she questioned playfully.

"Come on KP, this will be good for us," Ron yawned. "Besides, it will help on the missions."

Just then the sound of a motor came from around the house. Kim's face lit up as Erik came around the house, dressed in a karate gi.

"Hey Kim, Hey Ron," he said, walking up with a smile on his face. "Kim told me all about your training yesterday on the phone and I thought I'd join in, I could use the practice.

"You know martial arts?" Ron asked. _"This is so not what I thought she meant by the three of us spending time together."_

"I know a little karate," Erik replied.

"Oh come on Erik, you're a black belt! You don't have to be so modest," Kim beamed. "Let's get started. I'll start off with Ron while you stretch, and then we can rotate out."

Kim and Ron squared off. "Why didn't you tell me Kim?" Ron said flatly.

"Oh, sorry Ron, we were talking about it late last night and it was a little late to call," Kim replied. "You're not upset are you?"

"No big KP, of course I'm not upset," Ron said, faking a grin. They began fighting, throwing punches and kicks with their gloves and pads on. _"Of course I'm upset! How can I not be upset! I pretty much flat out told you that I want to spend more time with you and you invite him here!" _They exchanged blows and warded off each other's punches. The pace steadily increased until Kim slipped in a quick shot to Ron's chest.

"Gotcha Ron! Wow, you really gave me a run there. We should have stuck to this years ago, it would make things a lot easier dealing with all the henchmen we've faced."

"Umm, thanks KP," Ron said, walking to the edge of the sand.

"Why don't you stay in Ron? You need the practice more than I do," Kim said with a smile.

"OK," Ron said, taking a drink from his water bottle before going back to the sandpit.

"Are you ready Ron? Don't worry I'll go easy on you," Erik said with a confident smile on his face.

"Yep." _"Yah, I'm ready. It's not enough that you come in and take Kim, driving us apart. Then you have to butt into the things that we do together? Isn't having her heart enough for you?" _

Erik started off with a high kick followed by a foot sweep. Both Ron easily avoided. Ron struck at him with a few punches, all neatly blocked. Erik advanced again with a series of kicks. Ron stepped in and judo threw Erik to the ground. He then stepped back allowing Erik to get back up, his face devoid of a smile.

"Again?" Ron asked politely. Erik shook his head yes with the flicker of a grin.

Ron approached this time and Erik threw a flurry of combinations that Ron was hard-pressed to block. Erik tried to follow up with an axe kick but Ron swept his leg before he could complete it. He rolled to the ground with Erik and put him into an arm bar.

"OK, OK, you got me!" Erik said. He got to his feet and brushed off his gi angrily.

"Maybe I should switch in?" Kim said with concern, looking from her best friend to her boy friend and back.

"No Kim, I want one more try," Erik said flatly.

Ron shrugged his shoulders and stepped back to restart the sparring match. Erik came in with his kicks and punches hard now.

Kim stood up, "Hey guys, this is sparring! Amp down a little will you?"

Erik huffed, I have to speed it up Kim, ""How can I expect to defend you if I don't get any better?"

The warmth left Ron's eyes as he heard the words Erik spoke. _"Defend her? DEFEND HER!!! SIDEKICK IS MY JOB!" _His eyes flashed blue as Erik came in with a punch. Ron snatched Erik's wrist from the air and flipped him to the ground liked Kim had shown him yesterday. The air left Erik's chest as he landed on his stomach, the wind knocked out of him. He struggled to his hands and knees as Ron stepped forward with his left leg. Visions of synthoErik electrocuting Kim flashed through his head. Power flowed through his body.

"Ron!" Kim yelled, bringing him to his senses as Ron started to bring his right knee forward towards Erik's face. Ron pulled the blow just before it struck, tapping Erik lightly on the forehead. He then turned and walked out of he sand as Kim rushed to Erik helping him to his feet.

"You're crazy!" Erik gasped, pointing at Ron.

Kim walked up to Ron and grabbed his wrist as he turned to Erik; he twisted away. "Let me." She scowled and grabbed his wrist again, pulling his sleeve up to his armpit. Red splotches ran the length of his arm. "You're both crazy. This is supposed to be sparring, not an all out brawl." She looked into Ron's eyes, "Ron, you flipped him really hard." She turned to Erik and looked at him pointing out the marks on Ron's arms where he blocked Eric's strikes. "Erik there is no reason he should have these all over his arms, you were going full out against him there." She looked between the two of them and crossed her arms, "Erik you are my boyfriend. Ron, you are my best friend. You both need to grow up and get along."

Erik scowled and looked at his feet, straightening his gi. Ron looked blankly at them both.

"Sorry KP," Ron said, "I guess I just lost it for a minute there. After fighting that synthodrone on the roof, this is just too much, too soon."

Kim's mouth dropped wide open, "Oh my gosh Ron! I don't know how I forgot about that! I'm sorry to put you through that."

"Sorry dude, I forgot about that too." Erik said sheepishly.

"I should probably get home and get cleaned up. I'm still grounded until I return to school Tuesday." Ron turned and picked up his bag.

"Bye Ron!" Kim yelled as he walked around the house. Ron lifted up his hand and waved without looking back. "I think we're done for the day Erik, I think the sunlight is getting to me. I kept seeing blue spots while you two were fighting."

* * *

Ron was in the kitchen baking up a cake. He wanted to send it over to Kim as a surprise for a great SAT exam. He was also trying to make up for his spat with Erik, well at least make it up to Kim. He has just finished up mixing the batter when there was a knock at the front door. Ron answered it, a middle aged man stood there with a package in his hand. 

"Sign here please sir," he said, holding out a clipboard.

Ron signed the clipboard and took the package; it was addressed to him from Wade. "Thanks, have a nice day."

"Oh I would, if I didn't have to work," the man replied as he walked to his delivery truck.

Ron tore open the package and saw a red colored Kimmunicator inside. It started beeping and he pressed the answer button. Wade popped up on the screen. "Ron, I can't get a hold of Kim, she's not answering her Kimmunicator!"

"Amp down Wade, she's taking her SATs," Ron said looking at his watch. "Yep, 1:30, she just started a half hour ago, the test is 3 hours and 45 minutes long." He noticed the look on Wade's face. "Umm, what's the sitch?"

"I have a lock on Drakken and Shego. They are next to Electrical Innovations Labs in Upperton in a hoverlair. They have a cloak but had to take if off for a moment while they landed. You need to get Kim and hurry!" Wade said.

"I can't take Kim away from her SAT's, they're crucial. The Ron Dog is going to have to go solo." Ron said with false bravado. "At least until you can get me some back up over there," he finished with a false grin.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5: Ron Goes it Alone

Authors notes:

Here is the next chapter in my story. I have to warn yout that there is a wicked cliff hanger at the end of this one, but I have the next chapter done, I just need to proofread it and fix a few spots I'm not happy with. It will post in a few days. 

I have to thank Zaratan. I was inspired by his "Bonnie's Curse" series as well as the collective known as GWA's work on "The Darkness Within". If you haven't red them yet, READ THEM!!! When I decided to write my own fanfiction I found myself wanting to include Shego in it. I thought long and hard about her background and found that I couldn't come up with anything that I liked better, or thought fit better than Zaratan's current background on Shego. Therefore, with his permission, I have made it my canon, up until the end of So the Drama. Thanks Zaratan!

* * *

"I can't take Kim away from her SAT's, they're crucial. The Ron Dog is going solo." Ron said with false bravado. 

"Are you sure about this Ron? It could be dangerous." Wade argued.

"I can handle it Wade, what are they after? And where is my ride?" Ron quipped.

"I think they are after the new h11 terrawatt battery. It was just developed. There's no telling what kind of weapon Drakken could power up with it. As for a ride, I, Umm, can't line anyone up quick enough. You guys really should take that free car offer."

"No time for chatter here Wade, I'll take my scooter." Ron changed into his mission clothes and rode over to Kim's house. "Rufus, I need you buddy," Ron said to his pet in his pocket. Rufus popped his head out, "Where did Jim and Tim put that rocket fuel for their experimental rocket this weekend?"

Rufus saluted and scurried off into the crowded garage. He came back with a small container. "Ta dah!" he beamed holding it out to Ron.

"No time to mount rockets," Ron said pouring the contents into the scooter's gas tank. Rufus jumped in his pocket and strapped on his helmet as Ron took off for the freeway. The engine temperature kept climbing as Ron rushed to the laboratory. Ron pushed the scooter for all it was worth; it finally gave out one block from the laboratory. Ron began running when he saw the lair appear as a ramp opened, disabling the cloaking device. Shego jumped from the building next to the lair with a large cylinder in her hands. She darted up the ramp and it began to close behind her. Ron was too late to catch the ramp, but he jumped and grabbed one of the landing legs as it retracted into the lair. He was inside.

Ron was in an apparently unused maintenance tunnel in the hoverlair. It was pretty tight down here and he had to roll to his side to pull the vibrating Kimmunicator out of his pocket. "Wade?" Ron spoke into the Kimmunicator and got a fuzzy picture of his friend with a broken up picture.

"Ron? The hoverlair must be shielded. Your signal is pretty faint. I am reading a large energy signature from the center of the hovercraft. I probably won't be able to communicate with you when you get closer to it, just track your movements. You have to get to the H11 and disconnect it. Be careful, the battery is very delicate, and with the amount of energy it has stored it can be dangerous on it's own."

"Alright Wade, I better get moving before they have a chance to use it." Ron whispered nervously. He listened at the access hatch for a moment, satisfied that there was no one nearby. Drakken often employed henchmen, not to mention Shego. He took his time sneaking through the hall and was quite pleased that he had managed not to trip once. The main room of the lair was easy to find. Ron remembered fondly of the time KP and him had snuck through a lair just like this, when Dr. Drakken was trying to launch an atmosphere disrupter. They had climbed up the satellite to reach the upper level bay and Ron had broken off the gyro-thingy. The atmosphere disrupter crashed back down into the hoverlair and crashed destroying it. _"Good times,"_ Ron thought. _"OK, head in the game Ron." _He pulled a ventilation vent off of the wall and crawled into the shaft. After several minutes of quietly crawling he reached the place he was looking for, a vertical chute leading up near the main room. "Rufus," he whispered.

Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket and cocked his head. "Hnk, huh?"

"Hey little buddy, can I get you to climb up there and set a hook for me?" Ron said motioning up the chute.

"No, no, no, no!" Rufus squeaked, shaking his head vigorously. "Sorry."

"Come on Rufus, I know you can do it. The grapple gun will make too much noise if I fire it." Rufus was not swayed. "I will give you a solid pound of cheddar when we get home," Ron whispered with a grin.

"Cheese! Hnk, OK," Rufus said happily.

Ron held out his hand, little suction cup shoes lay in the palm. Rufus slipped them on and took the string in his mouth, scampering up the ventilation shaft. "Pull up the rope and set the hook Rufus," Ron whispered before he had gotten out of earshot.

Rufus scampered up to the top of the shaft, pulled up the rope, and set the hook. "Hnk, done!" he chirped excitedly.

Ron held on tight and activated the grapple gun's retracting mechanism. He was pulled up the chute with minimum noise. "Great job little guy." Rufus chattered and zipped back in Ron's pocket. He continued his crawl through the HVAC system and came upon a grate. He could hear Dr. Drakken's voice coming from the upper level balcony. A large ray gun was mounted to a platform in the middle of the room. It was more like a ray cannon. A guard stood by the doorways to his left and right, the only two exits in the room. If he could sneak around the crates stacked next to the walls, he should be able to sneak past the to the ray without being noticed. Then he could extend the platform through the roof and fly out with his backpack jetpack.

"Yes, now that I have the new H11 battery I can finally power the super sized gravatromic ray," Drakken said, rubbing his hands together, just beginning his rant.

"Hurray, now leave me alone," Shego replied, flipping through the pages of her latest magazine.

Ron removed the grate and stepped out quietly. He put the grate back on and moved close to the crates hugging the side.

"But Shego, it's uses are limitless," Drakken whined.

"It lifts stuff up." Shego said flippantly, not bothering to look up from her magazine.

Ron took the opportunity provided by their arguing to slip to the next crate. His pants caught on a nail in the crate and slipped off his hips dropping to his feet. He tripped and fell grapple gun clattering across the floor. _"Aww, moldy nachos." _

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Shego quipped.

"It's the buffoon, where he goes, so goes Kim Possible. Henchmen! Deal with Ron Stoppable." Drakken yelled, grabbing a scanner off of the bench nearby.

"Where's Princess at Stoppable?" Shego asked with a mocking sweet tone.

"You'll find out soon enough," Ron replied squaring off against the closest henchman. Shego turned to scan for Kim while the first henchman swung at Ron with his electric baton. Ron stepped into the attack and grabbed the man's hands, twisted his hips and threw the man into the oncoming henchman, retaining the baton. They landed in a heap and the other henchman's baton sparked, incapacitating them both.

"Lock him up and keep him guarded," Shego said still looking around for Kim Possible. She heard the familiar sound of a grapple gun being fired and turned to see Ron being pulled up to the catwalk as the rope retracted.

"What?" Shego glanced down at the unconscious guards on the floor below before turning to Drakken. "Drakken you need to hire better henchmen."

"Or just give up on trying to take over the world," Ron quipped; he had put away the grapple gun, but still had the baton.

"Shego, good henchmen are expensive. But you'll find this interesting," he said smiling as he finished scanning for heat signatures. "Kim Possible is not here, the buffoon came alone."

Shego's face set into a mask of fury_, "Idiot, now I'm going to have to give you the beating of your life. Not that you didn't ask for it,"_ Shego thought as she fired up her plasma. "Well the buffoon decided to step up into the big leagues? I am going to make you sorry for that." Shego growled. She jumped at him confidently, beginning with a straight leaping kick.

Ron blocked the kick and she landed in front of him. He attempted to take her down gently, by touching the baton to her. Shego blocked the attempt, disarming him and earning him a nice plasma burn all at once. "So much for being a gentleman," Ron started, and balled up his fists.

"Didn't you know Stoppable? Nice guys finish last." Shego feinted with a punch and when Ron leaned in to counter strike she tackled him, her hair dangling in his face.

"You hafe lufly hair, but could you pleafe get it out of my facth," Ron sputtered, getting hair in his mouth. Shego threw an elbow to the side of his head and he saw stars for a second. "OK, sowwy about the haiw wemark." She threw her head back to get her hair out of her way as she rose up to rain down fists. "Thank you," Ron said with a weak grin. He curled his legs up and pushed off of the wall next to him, rolling over on top of her, pinning her wrists to the floor.

Visions of her past flashed in her head, the mad man's leering face as leaned over her naked body. Her arms chained up against the wall. A primal scream of both terror and rage escaped her lips. Her eyes glowed green and plasma grew to envelope her arms as well.

Ron's quickly released his hands as the plasma on her arms burned him. He tried to get up but she reached up and threw her right arm around him burning his back as she tried to grab his throat with the other. _"She's going to kill me. I don't want to die."_ His eyes began to glow blue, he grasped her left hand and rolled, throwing her off of him. To his horror she sailed over the railing and he heard the crashing of crates as he stood up. He looked over the railing. Shego was still standing, her face contorted in malice. He raced towards the gravatromic ray while she raced for the steps to the second floor. Ron picked up the electrical baton as she rushed towards him. He held it out in front of him ready to defend himself when he remembered what Wade had told him, _"Be careful, the battery is very delicate." _He threw the baton towards at the battery inserted in the ray cannon, praying that it would hit. It struck the gun handle end first and bounced in the air as Shego lashed out at him kicking him into a crate and shattering it.

"No!" Drakken yelled, running for the door.

Pain raced through his body, he was bleeding from numerous cuts. His whole body began to glow a little as he stood up trying to catch his breath. Fury lay plain upon both of their faces. The baton fell over sideways and electricity sparked onto the battery, damaging the outer coating. The machine began to throw sparks and smoke.

Drakken turned at the doorway, "Shego we have to go, it's going to explode!" Drakken pleaded.

Shego leapt at Ron again and swung wildly, leaving herself open. Ron ducked and drove his fist into her stomach. Shego gasped as the breath left her lungs, the pain bringing her out of her frenzy. She threw up her arm to block a high kick that Ron threw at her but was a little too slow. He blew through her defense, throwing her into the wall. She slumped down to the floor wincing, the plasma gone from her eyes and hands. The machine began to shake and pop. Dr. Drakken ran from the room. Ron looked over at the machine, "Aww, man.." he said. _"Coming here alone was a really bad idea." _He looked at the doorway just to his right and down and at Shego, nearly out on the ground. He dropped down over Shego, covering her, as the machine exploded, throwing lightning bolts as the battery disappated it's energy. One flew towards them, hitting Ron.

Shego cringed as Ron threw himself on top of her. His eyes and body glowed brightly for a moment as the shockwave and debris washed over them, but she was surprised when the crates and Ron's body took the brunt of it. The blue nimbus surronding slowly dissipated and she found herself staring into his warm brown eyes as the light faded from them.

* * *

Wade was monitoring Ron throughout the fight. He could not see or hear anything with the Kimmunicator; there was too much interference in the center of the lair for that. He was monitoring Ron's vitals. He could tell when Ron was getting close from his increased heart rate. He knew things had not gone as planned and Ron was fighting when his temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure skyrockets. He was still optimistic though; Ron would pull through. Truth be told Ron was better at solo mission then Kim was. But you had better not say that to Kim. Wade's heart skipped a beat when he saw Ron's respirations stop for a half a minute when Shego knocked the wind out of him. Tears began to fall from his face onto his keyboard as Ron's vitals slowed and lowered, finally stopping all together. 

"No.." he whispered. Oh Ron.."

* * *

Authors Notes: Please don't hate me, or hurt me. Especially the not hurt me. I will update in a few days.

I have noticed a few discussions on the properties of Shego's 'glow'. There is a general concensus that it is not actually plasma or fiery, that is more of a force. I decided to have the Team Go powers based on the unique radiation from the comet. Therefore the burns Ron suffers are a type of radiation burns.


	6. Chapter 6: A Favor Returned

Authors notes: Thanks to all of those that reviewed. As always, italicized text signifies active thought. This chapter is a little on the long side, about 7000 words. I could have broken it up, but I don't think it was proper or necessary. I am currently writing a piece for the GWA's guess the author contest so it will be a week or two before my next update.

* * *

Shego cringed as Ron threw himself on top of her. _"What is he doing? What is that glow? It's blue like Hego's, only much lighter, almost a baby blue." _His eyes and body glowed brightly for a moment as the shockwave and debris washed over them, but she was surprised when the crates and Ron's body took the brunt of it. _"He was… protecting me." _The nimbus slowly dissipated and she found herself staring into his warm brown eyes as the light faded from them. 

Shego shifted under the weight of Ron's body and the crates that had been blown apart around them. She called for Drakken but could only hear the ringing in her ears. Shego grunted with effort and pain as she pushed some of the boards off of them. "This would be a lot easier if my arm wasn't numb," she thought rubbing it. She shimmed out from under him, freeing herself from the wreckage. She looked at his chest, registering its lack of movement, _"he isn't breathing." _Leaning over, she grasped his wrist, _"no pulse." _Shego threw the pieces of crate and other debris off of Ron and rolled him over on his back. _"I haven't had to do this since my days with Team Go." _She began chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She could taste the coppery flavor of blood on his lips and hear the crackle of the fluid beginning to fill his lungs. _"Come on, don't die on me, I can't let you die now."_ She tried for a few minutes but it wasn't working, her arm was beginning to cramp up as she slumped against the wall. A tear left a clean line down her dust-covered cheek. She stared blankly at his still body, _"you could have ran Stoppable, you should have ran." _She slid down the wall a little bit and something pressed sharply into her side. She reached behind her to pull the annoyance away, ready to throw it across the room. She stopped herself and jerked her hand back, looking at the beat up baton in her grasp. Hope spread across her features as she pressed the button to activate it. It clicked and nothing happened. She clicked it again, nothing happened. She clicked it several times rapidly, still nothing. "Graaa," she growled throwing it to the ground. It bounced up sparking with electricity. "Huh!?" she gasped, snatching it out of the air quickly. She brought it down gently and touched it to Ron's chest, just over his heart. His back arched as the electricity coursed through him. Shego dropped down to check for a pulse, nothing. "Come on, come on!" she pleaded, clicking the button to power up the baton. It flickered to life and she touched it to his chest again. His back arched and she checked for his pulse. Her face lit up, eyes shining. "YES!" she cried, barely hearing herself. Ron had a pulse.

* * *

Kim was busily flipping through the pages of her test. It was three hours into the 3 hour and 45 minute time limit and she had just finished. She was using the extra time to check some of her answers. Kim was confident, but she wanted to make sure she got the best score possible. Suddenly the room seemed to grow warm and her face flushed. Her head began to hurt; she closed her eyes massaging her temples. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She opened her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. _"I just can't be here anymore," _she thought, closing the cover to her test booklet. She put the test in the envelope provided and took it up to Mr. Barkin at the front desk. 

"Possible, you look pale. Surely you couldn't have done poorly on the test," Mr. Barkin stated.

"No, Mr. Barkin. I just don't feel well," Kim replied.

"Better go see the nurse then," he said. He handed her a hall pass and waved her out the door.

Kim walked down the hallway toward the school nurse's room. As she passed her locker she could hear her computer beeping. _"I forgot, I turned my Kimmunicator off for the test." _She opened up her locker, Wade was already on the screen. "What's the matter Wade? You look like you've been crying. Did a hard drive crash or something?"

"Kim, I will talk to you at your house. Your parents are meeting you there." His lip trembled and another tear rolled down his face.

"Wade, what's the matter? Come on, I can handle it. What happened. Oh my gosh, Nana? Is Nana OK?" Kim asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

Wade shook his head no, "No, it's not Nana. Please Kim, just go to your house first. I will tell you there where it's more private."

"OK Wade, I'll see you there," Kim said with a frown. She closed the door to the locker and headed out of school. It wasn't time to go yet, but with the way Wade was acting this had to be serious. She raced across the parking lot and down the sidewalks that led to her house. She entered the front of the house to see Wade on the big screen TV in the living room.

Her mother stood touching her father's shoulder as he quietly wept into his hands. Her mother saw her and scooped her up into a big hug, tears pooling, but unshed, in her eyes. "Oh, Kimmie. Come and sit down by your father." Kim sat down and her Dad wrapped her in a hug. Anne Possible knelt down in front of her daughter and took her hands. Tears welled up in Kim's eyes as the seriousness of the situation took hold of her. "Honey, there is no easy way to say this. Ron went after Drakken and Shego alone. Wade was monitoring him and says that his vitals dropped to zero."

Kim's head swam as she sat reeling from the news her mother had given her. _"Ron, Oh my.. Ron's… dead." _She fell into her mother's arms sobbing as her parents held her, rocking back in forth. So many thoughts raced through her mind. _"Why? Why Ron? Why did you go alone? Why didn't you wait for me? I should have been there. I could have stopped it." _She couldn't say anything through the sobs though. Her mother stroked her hair, trying to calm her. They were all emotionally wore out by the time the released each other. They sat in silence for the evening, the tweebs didn't even make an noise. Her parents couldn't get a hold of Ron's parents, they were out of town on business again. Erik called to ask what had happened at school, but she just couldn't talk to him then.

Wade had clicked off to allow Kim and her family time to grieve. It had been several hours when Kim beeped him. Wade answered, popping onto the Kimmunicator screen. He saw Kim's face, tear streaked and red, but set with a grim look of determination. "Wade, I need coordinates on Drakken," she said with a crack in her voice.

Wade looked at her, fresh tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I'm sorry Kim, Drakken is using a cloaked hoverlair. I can't get him until he uncloaks again."

Kim's face wavered, "keep working on it Wade, and let me know when you find anything." She clicked off the Kimmunicator and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

The water ran off of her face, rinsing away the blood, sweat, and tears. Some of it was hers, some wasn't. Shego stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off gingerly. She examined herself in the mirror grimacing at the dark red welts on her arms. _"Those are definitely going to bruise,"_ she thought. Her hand brushed over her ribs and she flinched, _"And I'm betting those are cracked. Oh well. At least I heal quickly. I don't have all the scars like Stoppable does." _The comet that had crashed into her family's backyard years ago had given her special powers. Her enemies knew of the plasma she could strike with, or even could shoot from her hands. What many of them didn't know is that it had made her tougher, and a faster healer. She frowned when she dried her hair, touching the large lump where Ron had kicked her. _"That definitely hurt. Life saver or not, he's going to pay for that one, when he heals. At least my hair will cover it." _She rummaged through the mess on her dresser, knocking aside makeup cases, her contacts, nail files, and other clutter, trying to find her brush. She checked one of the unpacked boxes. _"This stinks having to move all the time. Ah, there it is."_ She picked up the brush and arranged her hair so the lump wouldn't be noticeable and changed into her standard green and black jumpsuit. She looked the mirror again to make sure she showed no weakness and went to check on her adversary. She passed two henchmen in the walkway and gave them a look that could shatter glass. They steered well clear of her, knowing the kind of mood she was in. 

It had been twelve hours since they the gravatromic ray cannon had exploded. Ron was lying on a gantry in a room not too far away. Dr. Drakken had ample medical equipment tucked away; it was often necessary after Kim Possible came to visit. He had balked at allowing his medical equipment to be used on Ron, saying instead that they should dump him out in the trash capsule. Shego had lit up one of her fists and reminded him that she hadn't been paid since before the Diablo incident. That was the end of that discussion. She had dressed his wounds and stitched up the gash her elbow had made on his hairline. Shego walked into the room to find Ron in the same position that she had left him in. She looked down at him, laying on his back and covered with a white sheet. _"He's sure full of surprises. I wonder what got into him."_ She had known he could fight, it was rumored he took on Monkey Fist and won. Monkey Fist was one of the few people she was apprehensive of fighting against and Ron had beaten him. Not to mention he had taken on synthodrone #901, he was getting beat, but proved he could take a beating. _"OK, I knew he could put up a fight, it's just I'm used to him running around causing a distraction while Kim did all the fighting." _She stepped close and checked his temperature, adjusting the covers. _"He's kinda cute when he's sleeping,"_ she thought as she checked the machine monitoring his vital signs. Everything appeared normal. She looked down at him lying there once more, _"Why did he throw himself between me and the explosion? It's sure something I wouldn't have done. No, be honest with yourself Shego. You would have done the same thing a long time ago; before you left Team GO." _Shego yawned suddenly aware of how tired she was. "Goodnight tiger," she said as she dimmed the lights. She walked out and closed the door resetting the lockdown code to make sure no one 'visited' him during the night. She could think of two bruised up henchmen that might take offense to him being there. She made her way to her room and went to sleep, hoping the nightmares didn't visit her tonight.

* * *

Ron was having the strangest dream. He was chasing a slim, feminine shadow through a bamboo forest. Only he wasn't human. He felt himself running on four legs, tail swishing back and forth. He leapt at the figure as it swung up into the trees, claws raking at it's back but falling short. Lightning flashed overhead illuminating the clearing, showing his orange and black striped feline body. Rain began to beat down, falling through the foliage. A hill grew larger into a mountain as he approached, spurred on by a feeling of urgency, the figure he was chasing forgotten. The mountain grew larger on the horizon as the rain pounded down harder. He saw a blue glow at the top of the mountain and ran towards it. A cliff loomed overhead and he growled in frustration. He leapt towards the cliff, trying to dig his claws in a climb, but he couldn't get a hold. He slid down to the bottom and paced. His anger soared as he let out a roar and leapt again. The tiger's eyes glowed blue as he hit the cliff wall, digging his claws in. Pulling one leg up over the other, he made it up the cliff face and raced towards the light. The rain stopped as he approached, the glow was coming from a circle. Ron recognized it from his trip to Japan; it was a meditation ring like the one at the Yamanouchi school. Hovering in the middle of the ring was the lotus blade and seated in a meditative pose was Sensei. Ron knelt, bowing the best that he could as a cat. He looked down at himself and realized that he was now himself again, in a black ninja uniform much like the one he wore at the Yamanouchi school. 

"A tiger is an interesting choice for a dream spirit," Sensei said with a smile, "for a student of Ti Shing Pek Kwar. Though I like it better than a pink sloth." He leaned forward slightly in a bow, "It is good to see you Stoppable-san. Please sit."

Ron bowed in return and sat across from Sensei, "Pink sloth? Sensei, is this a dream?"

"It is a dream as you know them, but it is more real than that as well," Sensei began cryptically. "It would be better to speak to you in person, but that is not possible at this time. Your mystical monkey power is beginning to blossom, sooner than I had predicted."

"Huh? I mean, I don't understand what you mean Sensei," Ron said.

"I have felt the rise in the power of the lotus blade these past few days. It is sensitive to the level of mystical monkey power in this world," Sensei explained.

"But I haven't even thought about the lotus blade Sensei," Ron said, puzzled.

"I told you that the lotus blade would come when you called, the same is true of the inner power you possess. In time, with much strengthening of your mind, you can call upon the power as you need it. Now, it bubbles up from you uncontrolled when your emotions take over."

"How do I strengthen my mind Sensei?" Ron asked.

"Open your mind to your power Stoppable-san. Use the meditation techniques you were taught when you were at the Yamanouchi school. That is a good start."

"Yes Sensei, I will. But why has the power come to me now?"

"I can not say Stoppable-san, for it has not yet been revealed to me. I feel our time grows short here. I will send for you this summer." Sensei replied.

"Thank you Sensei" The clouds began to part and sunlight hit his eyes temporarily blinding him. As his vision came back to him he groaned, pain shooting throughout his body. He looked up, his eyes adjusting and saw a beautiful face, painted with relief, looking down on him surrounded by an aura of white light.

* * *

"I still don't see why you sent them a message Shego." Dr. Drakken started, "you could have given away our position." 

Shego sat in the room with Ron's gurney in it, filing her nails. "Don't worry, they won't get the message for two hours, which should give us plenty of time to relocate the hoverlair."

"I still don't know why you did it."

"It's fairly simple Dr. D." She blew the filings off her nails, admiring her work. "Do you really want Princess thinking that we killed the sidekick? She's enough trouble to handle when she's just trying to capture us, much less kill us."

"Yes, I do remember someone being kicked nearly through a tower," Dr. Drakken mused. "I can see why you don't want to anger her."

"I'm not afraid of the little princess, it was a lucky shot," Shego snarled. "I wouldn't have been distracted if I wasn't watching you get taken down by Stoppable."

Dr. Drakken backed up half a step, afraid he may have gone too far. Shego's attention was shifted from him as Ron began to stir on the gurney. She stood up over him as he groaned and cracked open his eyes. _"He's awake! Oh, he's going to be alright!"_

"I see an angel, am I in heaven?" Ron asked groggily. Shego felt a flush creep up in her face.

"AH! HA! HA! HA!" Drakken doubled over laughing. "An angel indeed!" Shego frowned and raised a hand without looking, shooting a plasma stream at Drakken. "Yaouch!" he yelped. "Well, I had better get going, so much to do," he said as he fled the room grumbling.

"No Stoppable," she quipped, "You're in the hoverlair, you've been out for a full day."

"Hoverlair?" He reached up and touched the bandage over his head where Shego hit him. "Oh, now I remember."

Shego flinched and quickly recovered, but Ron had closed his eyes and didn't notice. "How much do you remember?"

"The fighting and the explosion," he answered.

"So you remember jumping on me?" she quipped, with a little less venom than she intended.

"I don't think I could forget. You freaked out big time."

"I mean the second time," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, yah," he blushed.

"Thanks, I owe you one," she said softly. _"What is going on here? I must be going soft." _

"No big." _"Is that compassion in her voice?"_

"Don't tell anyone I said that, I don't think I could live it down. How are you feeling?" _"I am going soft."_

"I think I got hit by a green and black pickup truck," Ron groaned, opening his eyes again.

Shego giggle in spite of herself, "I'd like to think of myself more as a freight train." _"Wait, did I just giggle?"_

"_Wait, did she just giggle?" _He looked up at her face, her smile. _"She's really pretty when she's not getting all evil on someone." _"Yah, um I just realized that I haven't used the bathroom in 24 hours."

"Oh," she stammered. "Over there. Can you manage?"

"I think so," he said, grunting as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the gurney. He stood, wobbling a little and steadied out. "Where's Rufus?"

"The hairless rat? He's in the cage in the bathroom. He's OK," she said rolling her eyes. It had been even harder to keep Drakken from frying up the little guy. He kept going on and on about a family recipe for mole rat. _"Gross."_

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks." His stomach grumbled.

"I'll go see if I can dig up some food." She put a little ice into her voice, "do not try leaving this room." With that she left and shut the door behind her locking it. _"I'd never live it down if he escaped and hit the self destruct switch."_

Ron looked down realizing what he was wearing. A pair of Dr. Drakken's lab pants and a white t-shirt. _"Who changed me? And wait.. Cleaned me up? Oh, I don't want to know! Aww man! I had to wear my cupid boxers didn't I?"_

_

* * *

_

Kim Possible woke up the next morning; she rolled over and looked at the alarm clock. It was 8:30 and she was late for school, but she didn't care. She stared out the window blankly, watching the gray clouds drift by. _"It's going to rain,"_ she thought, _"angels crying for the people they left down here on earth, Ron's tears." _She lay there for a while, clutching her pillow, when her mother cracked open the door. The delicious smell of eggs and bacon drifted into her room.

"Kimmie, come down and get something to eat," her mother said gently.

"I'm not hungry Mom," Kim said flatly.

Mrs. Possible looked down at her daughter in sympathy. "I know it's hard Kim, but you have to keep going. Ron wouldn't want it any other way." Mrs. Possible knelt by her daughter's bed and embraced her.

"I know Mom," Kim said, a tear trickling down her cheek. "It just aches so much. I feel empty inside."

"We'll get through this together Kimmie," her mother said releasing her. "I called off my appointments and called you in sick to school." She stood and made her way toward the door. "I'm going to dish you up a plate of food. Will you be down to eat it?"

Kim rolled over on her back, looking up at the ceiling. "Yes, Mom."

* * *

Erik and Monique came over after school; Monique's eyes were red and puffy from crying on the way over. Erik had found out last night from her parents and had told Monique about what happened after school privately. 

"Kimmie, I have to go pick up your brothers, I'll be back in a little while. Are you going to be fine with your friends?" Mrs. Possible asked.

"Yes Mom," Kim replied. She was holding Monique's hands as the two comforted each other.

"Girl, this is too wrong, especially being Ron. He was such a good person, a bit goofy, but a good friend." Monique looked at Kim with puffy eyes and leaned forward to hug her.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Erik, standing off to the side.

"No, Erik," Kim replied shaking her head. _"You just haven't been around long enough to know him, to see who he really is, to become his friend."_ She found herself angry at him in spite of herself. _"I don't think you even liked him being around."_

BEEP BEEP BE BEEP.

The Kimmunicator let out it's familiar call. Kim broke off the hug and snatched the Kimmunicator out of her pocket. "Go Wade." 

"I just picked up Drakken's hoverlair on radar, they uncloaked and landed," Wade said grimly.

"Where are they Wade?" Kim asked her face hardening.

"They are just outside of Denver, I have a GJ hover jet in route to pick you up."

"Thanks Wade."

"Kim, be careful," Wade said, his voice laden with concern.

"I will," she replied in a near whisper.

"I'm coming with you." Erik stepped up beside Kim. "Don't even try to argue with me. I can't let you go in there alone. Not after what just happened"

"Fine," Kim agreed, "but I'm in charge. You follow my orders." She pulled him along with her to her room and handed him a set of Ron's mission clothes. She pointed to the bathroom. "Be ready in 2." She ran to her room to get ready.

They changed into mission clothes and headed down the stairs. "Monique, please tell my mother that I will be back soon and not to worry," Kim stated as she headed for the door, Erik in tow.

"I will Kim, be careful." Fresh tears streamed down Monique's face as her best friend entered the airplane and it took off. _"Please lord, guide them and protect them. I don't think I could take losing another friend." _

Kim's Mom pulled into the driveway just as the hover jet took off. Her throat constricted as she watched the jet zip across the sky. _"Be careful Kimmie."_

It only took about 10 minutes for the hover jet to reach Denver. It zipped in between buildings, staying low to the ground to prevent detection. The hoverlair was nowhere in sight.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Possible, but I am not picking up anything on the scanners."

"It's got to be around here somewhere. These are the coordinates Wade gave us and Wade is never wrong," Kim replied.

"I will keep scanning," the pilot replied, knowing he wouldn't find anything.

Kim kept looking and had Wade try some of his scans. Nothing came up on any of them. Kim hung her head trying to stop the tears from overwhelming her again. As if sensing her mood raindrops began falling from the gray clouds. They beat down upon the ground moistening the grass on the field below and darkening the pavement. Kim looked out of the windows as the rain swept over the city. Her face hardened once again as a distortion appeared in the sky over the Smarty Mart parking lot, a large circle of dry pavement below it. The lair could cloak itself, but it couldn't make the rain fall through it.

"_It's time for some payback,"_ she thought. "It's over there Captain Smith," Kim said pointing out the distortion.

"Oh. I see it!" he exclaimed.

"Bring us in at street level and rise up underneath it. It shouldn't be able to get a radar signal on us then." She readied her gear, pulling out her laser lipstick and turning to Erik. "You just stay back and keep me from being overrun by Drakken's henchmen. Be careful, they play rough. Leave Shego and Drakken for me."

"Alright, Kim," Erik said nervously. "You just be careful OK?"

She nodded her head as the pilot brought them up into position underneath the hoverlair. She grabbed out her Kimmunicator, "Wade, do you have any last minute details to give?"

"This appears to be the same design as the last hoverlair Drakken had, but I can't be sure. I'm not getting the same interference with the Kimmunicator as I was when Ron was here so I have to assume he was successful in his mission."

"Thanks Wade." She turned to the pilot of the hover jet. "Thanks for the ride Captain Smith." He saluted as she hit the button to open the ramp at the rear of the plane. It opened up and she grabbed the upper part of the doorway and swung up onto the roof. She felt around on the bottom of the hoverlair until she found a seam, she began cutting with the laser lipstick.

Erik gulped as he looked out over the 80-foot drop to the blacktop below. The jet wash made the air around him uncomfortably hot and the wind from the rainstorm tugged at him. He was terrified. _"But I'm not even afraid of heights," _he thought as he tried to swallow the knot in his throat. He tried to pull himself onto the roof but couldn't bring himself to do it. _"And Ron does this stuff all the time?" _There was a loud thump and a scrapping sound as the thick sheet of metal Kim was cutting on fell on the jet and slid off, plummeting to the ground. Two strong hands reached down and grabbed him by his backpack straps and pulled him up onto the roof.

"Come on! We don't have much time; they will know that a door for the landing gear has been opened. She boosted him up into the ship and climbed in after him.

* * *

Shego pulled the last of Dr. Drakken's Pop Pop Porter's frozen pizzas out of the freezer in the kitchen and popped it into the pizza oven. She sat down, impatiently tapping her fingers, waiting for the ten minute cooking time to pass. Her lips turned up in the faintest of smiles. _"He thought I looked like an angel. I must have hit him in the head harder than I thought."_ A henchman walked into the kitchen to sneak something to eat and stopped when he saw her. She merely lifted up her hand, engulfing it in plasma, and was rewarded as she heard the rapid pitter-patter of feet running away. 

Shego entered the room Ron was in with the pizza and a few sodas. Ron was sitting on the chair with Rufus perched on his shoulder. The little mole rat bared his teeth and let out a growl when Shego walked into the room.

"Amp down little buddy, she isn't here to fight us right now," Ron said to Rufus soothingly. Rufus still looked upset, but stopped with his threatening gestures.

"_She isn't here to fight us right now."_ The words stung her a little bit especially the last two, but she didn't allow the emotions to show on her face. "I brought you some food. I thought you'd like to know that I sent a message to the nerdlinger to let them know that you are OK and we'd be releasing you as soon as we could." Shego opened up a soda for him; he obviously couldn't manage with his hands bandaged from the plasma burns. She set the pizza down on the table and took a seat in a chair opposite of him.

"Thanks Shego, I didn't think you could be so.." Ron stopped; realizing what he was going to say could be taken as a bit of an insult. _"caring."_

"What, human?" she snapped. "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I still am a person." _"And I have my reasons."_

"That's not what I was going to say, but yes, I guess. I'm sorry." Ron replied quietly.

"Well, eat up, before it gets cold," Shego said.

Ron scooped up a piece and began eating. Much to Shego's surprise, Rufus pulled a piece away and started scarfing it down as well. "Aren't you going to have any?" Ron asked between bites.

"Me? Nah, I'm not hungry," she replied. She watched in amazement as Ron and Rufus finished off the whole pizza. Ron rinsed it down with one of the sodas.

"That was good Shego, thanks," Ron said warmly, already feeling better now that he had food in his stomach. "I'll have to cook you something later if you'll let me."

"It was just a pizza Stoppable, don't worry about it," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Wait, you cook? I didn't think they'd let you near fire the way you stumble around sometimes."

Ron shrugged his shoulders with a grin, "Hey, I'm still growing." He looked around the room, uncomfortable in the sudden silence.

Shego felt it was time to leave 'the prisoner' to himself. Instead she found herself asking, "What is your favorite dish to cook?"

"I like cooking just about anything, but I have most recently perfected my shrimp alla griglia and Kim's grandmother's chocolate cake recipe."

"So how does the Princess like your cooking?" Shego asked with a bit of a sneer at the mention of her arch-foe's pet name.

"If we are going to talk, let's not talk about Kim right now," Ron said flatly. "I don't think we could have a civil discussion if we started talking about her."

Shego realized that she had begun to get snippy. "I suppose you're right," she said grudgingly. "We shouldn't talk about work either." "Or my past," she added as an afterthought.

"_I wonder what's in her past that she doesn't want brought up?"_ he thought. "Agreed."

They talked for over an hour before the nagging voice of Dr. Drakken interupted them.

Shego rolled her eyes when she heard Dr. Drakken calling her name down the hallway. "Oy, never a day of rest. I thought he'd be supervising the henchman cleaning up the main bay for at least a day or two." She got up to leave.

"Shego," Ron started. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Shego felt her cheeks flush a little bit, "It's just nice to be talk to someone besides Dr. D. The henchmen he hires are all such morons." She turned to walk out the door.

"_She's lonely." _"Shego."

Shego turned back around to face Ron.

Ron shifted his feet nervously, "If you ever need to talk.."

_"What? I thought he hated me."_ "Yah Stoppable, thanks." Shego turned and left out the door, so flustered that she forgot to set the lock as she shut the door behind her.

Ron sat down on the bed and folded his legs, attempting to meditate.

Shego caught up to Dr. Drakken as he stormed onto the balcony of the main bay. "Yo, Dr. D., what's up?"

"Shego, what have you been up to? And is that pizza I smell?" Drakken snapped angrily.

"What's gotten into you? I've been guarding the prisoner, and yes that is pizza you smell. I had to feed him something." Shego glared back at him defiantly.

"That was my last pizza," he began until he saw the frown on her face turn to a scowl. "Oh, never mind. I just got a call from the bridge. One of the alarms for the landing gear doors has gone off."

"So send a henchman or something," she quipped.

"I did, and I'm not getting any response from him now." He turned and punched in a display on the computer screen bringing up schematics of the hoverlair. "It is landing leg 2 in sector C. I need you to check it out." He turned to Shego only to find that she wasn't there. "Shego? SHEGO!" Just then there was a commotion on the floor below. Dr. Drakken ran to the balcony edge to look. "Kim Possible! How did you find us? And who is that?"

"Cloaking. So not good in the rain. Especially when you pick such an inconspicuous hiding place as Smarty Mart." Kim stated mockingly with a look of anger upon her face. "And that's my boyfriend that you kidnapped before, but that is the least of your worries right now Drakken." She dropped into a fighting pose.

"Get them!" Dr. Drakken yelled to his henchmen.

His henchmen ran to intercept Kim and Erik. Three went after Kim and one after Erik. Erik was doing well dodging attacks and trying to let the henchman wear himself down. Kim showed she wasn't playing games as she knocked out the first one with a spinning back kick to the jaw. She ducked as the next one took a swing at her with his baton allowing him to pass her. The third one came in charging and she stood her ground. She grabbed him, using his momentum, and, with a little twist from her hips, sent him flying into the wall, knocking him out. The last one recovered and swung again and she stepped into it and blocked, jarring his arm hard enough to get him to drop the baton. He swung with his other fist and she dropped and spun around low, sweeping his feet out under him. She grabbed his baton and whacked him with it, the electricity stunning him. She turned and saw Erik was holding his own, his henchman was panting and she knew he wouldn't be much of a danger to Erik. She turned to Drakken.

"Shego! I need you in here!" Dr. Drakken shouted frantically.

"It looks like she split on you, a smart move after what you two did to Ron. You are so going to pay!" Kim whipped out her grapple gun as Dr. Drakken turned to run. She fired and retracted the rope, pulling herself up to the balcony. She landing lightly as Drakken ran screaming down the hallway.

"Oomph!" Erik gasped as he was grabbed from behind. Shego had seen them coming and snuck around to ambush them. She twisted his arm up behind his back.

"One more move Princess and your boyfriend gets it!" Shego snarled. She engulfed her hand in plasma and held it over Erik's head.

Kim stood on the balcony looking down, mixed emotions of fear and malice on her face. Fear for her boyfriend and malice for the ebony hair vixen threatening him. "Why don't you and I settle this ourselves?" she growled at Shego stepping towards the edge of the balcony.

"Take another step and we will settle it ourselves, just the two of us. With no Erik around to see it," Shego threatened. She gave Erik's arm enough of a twist to make him gasp again. "I couldn't have him jumping in while I'm beating you."

"Shego." Ron stepped out on the balcony.

"Ron? Ron!" Kim's eyes grew wide as she gaped at her best friend, whom she thought dead, standing not ten feet from her. He was dressed in strange clothing, baggy blue pants and a white t-shirt and was wrapped in many bandages. She rushed over and threw her arms around him, tears of joy running down her cheeks.

"Ugh! How did you get out here?!" Shego yelled exasperated.

"Easy Kim, I'm still a little sore," he said with a grin. "Shego, remember that favor? I'd like to take it now."

Kim's head shot up from his shoulder, _"Favor?" _She backed up and looked at Shego curiously.

Shego just grinned up at Ron and asked coyly. "Are you sure Stoppable?" She cocked her hip to the side and ran her hand down it, still pinning Erik with her other arm. "You could ask for anything you know." Her eyes flashed over to Kim, waiting to judge her reaction.

Kim and Ron's faces both turned red as Kim sputtered. "Yes, he's sure!"

"So what exactly do you want then Stoppable?" Shego asked, her voice once again hardening to contain the edge that Kim and Ron were more accustomed to.

"Just let us go. Safely off of the hoverlair," he stated.

"Works for me. As long as you all go quietly. If Princess tries anything funny I'll fry the lot of you, starting with him." She motioned to Erik.

"Kim?" Ron asked quietly.

Kim just stared at Shego, surprised, and nodded. _"What could Ron have possibly done?"_

"Let's go then," Shego said with a sneer, pushing Erik away from her. She turned and walked over to the controls for the main bay elevator platform. She punched in a code, raising the platform and bringing the hover car up from the bottom bay. "Well, get in if you want out of this place. I don't think that Dr. Drakken is just going to land the hoverlair at GJ headquarters." She put her hand on the side of the hover car and leapt into the driver's seat.

Kim and Ron walked down the steps from the balcony. On the way Ron saw his backpack next to the console and picked it up. Erik met them at the bottom of the steps.

"Shotgun!" Ron called.

Kim rolled her eyes but climbed in behind the seats, joined shortly by a slightly embarrassed Erik.

Erik rubbed his sore arm, feeling very out of place. "Sorry Kim, I didn't mean to be caught."

Kim just shook her head, "no big Erik. It happens on missions sometimes."

Ron climbed in gingerly and Shego hit a sequence of buttons on the dash. The hover car leapt up as a section of the roof to the lair slid aside. Grey skies of rolling clouds greeted them. It had stopped raining. She flew the hover car out and brought it to a stop in the Smarty Mart parking lot.

They all climbed out and Shego turned to look at Ron. "Don't forget what you owe me," she said flatly. She didn't even turn to acknowledge Kim or Erik. She gave a mocking smile and took back off into the hover lair. It recloaked, becoming indistinguishable from the sky above them.

Kim glared at Shego's back as she left, _"Owe her? I thought she owed him a favor? Now I'm really confused."_ Kim pressed the button to her Kimmunicator, calling Wade. He flashed on the screen. "Wade, we need a ride for three."

"Three?" Wade asked.

"Yes. Ron is with us." She turned the view screen to capture Ron's image for Wade.

"Ron! You're OK!" Wade shouted with relief.

"Well you're alright too Wade, no matter what Kim says about you," Ron said with a grin.

Kim punched him in the shoulder and he groaned. "Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I have the GJ jet coming back, he was circling in case you needed an extraction," Wade said.

"Thanks Wade, you rock." Kim turned to Ron, "are you OK?"

"I'll be fine KP, though I think I should probably see a doctor."

Kim nodded her head and looked into the eyes of her best friend. "We'll get you to the Middleton hospital right away. But while we are waiting for Global Justice, I have a few questions."

Ron rolled his eyes and got ready for a rather long explanation.

* * *

Authors notes: As I mentioned in the beginning of this chapter I am writing an entry for GWA's guess the author contest. It will be taking up a good chunk of my writing time so it may be a week or two before I am able to get the next chapter up. Perhaps I will type up a shorter chapter though. 

I'd like to thank RI100014 for his idea to include Sensei to help Ron with his MMP issues. I had planned on including him in the story later on, but didn't think to do it this early. I really enjoyed typing up the dream sequence, though it isn't my best writting. Thanks RI100014.


	7. Chapter 7: Back to Normal?

Author's note: Italicized text signifies active thought, as usual. I would like to thank all of the readers that have taken the time to review my work. I found this next chapter very difficult to write. It took several times rereading and revising to get it to the point that I felt it was 'postable'. I hope you enjoy it reader.

* * *

Ron lay in the hospital bed waiting for the doctors to read the results of the many tests and scans they had given him. His wounds and burns had been bandaged and he was ready to have visitors again. Kim had waited impatiently the whole time. She couldn't ask him anything on the way over to the hospital. After they were out of danger she had let her guard down and began sobbing. She told him how they all thought that he was dead. It was all she could do to keep from hurting him as she hugged him tightly all the way back to Middleton Hospital. Ron had melted into the hug, despite the pain it was putting him in. Erik had looked on uncomfortably. 

"Hey KP, how ya doing?" Ron asked from his hospital bed as Kim walked into the room, still in her mission clothes.

"Better, thanks. Now that we know that your going to be OK I'd like to get some answers to those questions." She moved to sit in the chair beside the bed.

"Umm, what questions?" Ron replied.

Kim fired off her questions in rapid succession. "What were you thinking going off alone? Why did Shego owe you a favor? What do you owe her? And last but not least, what exactly happened on your mission? Spill."

"Amp down KP, I just woke up a couple of hours before you rescued me." Ron shifted in his hospital bed, trying to find a spot to lie that wasn't sore. "I thought I could handle it KP."

Kim shot him a look that said, _"I guess you were wrong."_ She merely arched an eyebrow, leaving that unsaid.

"I got the call from Wade on my new, badical, Kimmunicator." He reached into his bag, sitting next to the bed, to pull out his red communicator. He groaned when he saw how much damage had been done to it during the fight. The screen was smashed and the antenna had been broken off. "It was so shiny and new," Ron said sadly.

"Ron, so not the drama. I'm sure Wade can fix it up in a jiffy." Kim replied, rolling her eyes. "Besides, Wade filled me in on that part. I'd like to know what happened once you got inside."

"Oh, OK Kim." Ron said, shifting again. "I got in the hoverlair just before it took off by jumping on the landing gear. Rufus and I snuck through the ventilation shafts to the main room." He blushed realizing what part he was getting to. "I had thought to grab the H11 battery pack and get out while Drakken was busy ranting to Shego, but I snagged my pants and fell. They heard it and I had to fight a couple of henchmen." Ron looked away sheepishly, "I thought of running after that, but I was so mad at them two for what they did two weeks ago I couldn't bring myself to run."

Kim looked down at him with a frown. "Ron, you can't let that get to you. They played me, and now you are paying for it too. You can't let your emotions get you in a sitch that you can't handle." _"Like I'm one to talk. This is the second time in a row I've gone after Drakken and Shego without a second thought for revenge." _

"I know KP. I just wasn't thinking at the time." He sighed.

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Go on."

"I fought Shego and she was handing me my biscuit. But I managed to throw one of the henchmen's batons on the battery and it began to short, ready to explode. Drakken had already fled the room and I knew Shego and I weren't going to get out in time. I threw myself down on her and covered her from the blast."

Kim stared at him in shocked disbelief. "You saved Shego?!"

"Yah, no big KP. Anyways, I was knocked unconscious and when I came to Dr. Drakken and Shego were in the room. Dr. Drakken left grumbling and Shego stayed to let me know that she emailed Wade to let him know that I was OK."

"I know Ron, Wade told me. He just got the email while I was in the waiting area." Kim replied.

"Well, my stomach rumbled and she went and got me some food so I kinda told her that I owed her a meal," Ron said sheepishly.

"What!? You owe her dinner? She's my arch foe! What were you thinking Ronald?" Kim said with her voice echoing in the small room, a mix of shock and horror on her face. _"Most people I know would call that a date."_

"It just seemed like the polite thing to do," Ron replied. _"Wow, she is really tweaked." _"Don't worry KP, I doubt she's really going to take me up on it, I mean, it's Shego. Maybe if you and I were dating or something, she'd find that amusing. I think she's just trying to play you Kim."

Kim's face broke into a bit of a smirk, "I guess you're right Ron." She stood up and leaned over, giving him a hug. "I better get going, it's getting late and I have school in the morning." She walked to the door and turned. "Ron. I'm so glad that you're OK, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Ron thought back to Erik wearing his mission clothes and had a bitter taste in his mouth. "I think you'd pull through KP, but I don't plan on testing that theory." He suddenly didn't feel like talking anymore so he yawned and stretched a little, his muscles aching in response. "Goodnight KP."

"Goodnight Ron." Kim said as she shut the door behind her.

* * *

Shego sat on the balcony overlooking the main lab in the hoverlair. She was reading a magazine and lounging in a chair as the henchmen finished cleaning up the mess in the area below. Dr. Drakken stooped over a table, working quietly on a set of plans in front of him. _"He usually starts ranting by now, I wonder what he's up to?"_ "So, Dr. D., what's next on your plate of evil?" Shego asked plainly. 

Dr. Drakken blinked several times, surprise evident on his face. _"Shego never asks what I am going to do." _Drakken held up a finger happily, getting ready to start his rant. "In Phase One of this operation I will construct my newest invention, the Snoozulator. It will create ultra low frequency waves that trigger the brain waves common in REM sleep in humans. Putting those under its influence into a deep sleep!"

Shego rolled her eyes, "Snoozulator? Come on Dr. D., where do you come up with these names?"

"Shego, imagine the possibilities. And I, by the way, think Snoozulator is a fine name, so nah!" he replied snidely, sticking out his tongue.

"Realll mature," Shego replied, lifting her magazine once again to read.

"In Phase Two I will launch the Snoozulator into orbit and use it to put entire towns to sleep. While their defenders doze, we will enter the area and take whatever we want! Money, weapons, information, the possibilities are endless!"

Shego sighed and lowered her magazine again. "Aren't we going to be put to sleep when we enter the towns? What do you plan on doing about that?" _"It's so like him to forget about little details like this."_

"Yes, that is a bit of a problem," Dr. Drakken admitted sheepishly. "I'll have to work on it."

Shego rolled her eyes as she got up from her chair. "I'm going to go run another security diagnostic to make sure that the alarm on the landing gear door the henchmen replaced is working properly."

Dr. Drakken nodded silently, tapping his pencil against the table while he contemplated his plan.

Shego walked to the security room. A flat-nosed henchman was sitting in a chair in front of the monitors, looking extremely bored. He looked up at Shego with surprise, turning to fear as he saw the look on her face.

Flat-nose gulped, "Shh. Shego."

"Take a break," she snapped, looking like a cat that was all too ready to pounce.

The henchman scurried out of the room, glancing behind himself nervously. She did this every once and a while, running diagnostics on the system. She was the only one with the access codes needed to run them, besides Dr. Drakken himself. He went down the hallway to get a cup of coffee as long as he had a few minutes.

Shego made sure the henchman was gone and began the security diagnostics. "Security diagnostics started," the computer announced over the intercom. Shego punched some numbers into the computer and manually overrode the security camera above the balcony in the main lab. She zoomed in on the plans that Drakken was still working on and began to study them. _"I wonder if it has a chance of working? It's not a bad idea. I will have to check this out later." _She recorded snapshots of the plans and send them to her personal computer, erasing the transmission log. She had done the same thing a couple of days ago, erasing the footage of the aftermath or the fight with Ron in the main laboratory. It had shown weakness and she couldn't have that. She gave the computer control of the camera back so it could complete its diagnostic checks.

Shego checked the other security cameras just to monitor what was going on in the hoverlair. Everything appeared to be normal. A few minutes later the computer finished it's diagnostic checks. "Diagnostic checks complete," the computer announced over the intercom system. Shego checked the monitor for the hallway camera and grinned. She watched as Flat-nose came running down the hallway at full speed. He knew better than to keep her waiting when she had finished. She lit up her plasma and began counting backwards, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. The henchman rushed into the room. "Oh, you made it." Shego was a little disappointed that he had made it on time; it was fun blasting them with a little of her plasma. She had no respect for these thugs Drakken hired. She let her plasma die down and left the room.

* * *

Monique sat in the hospital room with Ron. She had dropped off his homework and brought him some Bueno Nacho. Kim had been called to help with the recovery of a dangerous device that had been stolen from a top-secret laboratory, the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer. She had taken Erik with her to the lab. It wasn't a dangerous mission; they were just there looking for clues as to who had taken it. Ron still wasn't happy about it. Monique could tell that something was up with Ron; he was barely eating his food. 

"What gives Ron? The food I brought you not good enough for you?" Monique asked, folding her arms. She knew what it was, but wanted him to admit it.

"No, the food is great."

"Then what's bothering you?"

"I don't know Monique, I just wish I could be on the mission now." Ron said, setting down his naco.

"_I'm going to have to drag it out of you, huh baby boy?"_ "You're jelling aren't you? she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Jelling?" Ron asked confused, flexing his hands. The doctor had said he needed to do that as the skin healed.

"Yes, jealous Ron. You're jealous of Erik."

"I am not," he denied. _"I so am," _he thought, contradicting himself. "I just like going on the missions with Kim and I can't now because of these," he said, holding up his bandaged hands.

"You so are Ron. You've been jealous of Erik since he first came to the school and caught Kim's attention." She paused, thinking back to the modulator incident sadly, _"You told her you just wanted to be friends, you didn't' want to risk your friendship. You had your shot."_ "Erik makes Kim happy Ron. Don't you want her to be happy?"

Of course I want Kim to be happy, but I still want to be her sidekick and friend," Ron explained sadly.

"And you will be Ron. You just have to get used to the fact that you have to share her time with Erik now."

Ron frowned down at his food. "I guess you're right Monique. It is just hard. I've been her best friend for over three quarters of our lives. It's going to take a little while to get used to."

"Y.B.J.F. Ron.

"Huh?"

"You're be just fine," she said with a bit of a smile.

There was a knock at the door and a nurse poked her head into the room. "Visiting hours are ending," she said and left the room.

"I guess I better get going. Don't forget to read chapters 16 and 17 in your history book. We're having a pretty tough test on Monday and you're going to have to take it."

"Thanks for bringing me the Bueno Nacho Monique," Ron said pausing. "And my homework," he added with a grin.

"No problem Ron." Monique turned and left the room.

* * *

The black ninja crouched on a branch in the large maple tree. She saw Kim Possible's friend exit the room and inched over to get a look at the room's occupant, Ron Stoppable. He was lying in bed staring up at the TV, his homework forgotten. It had been a couple of days since he was checked into the hospital and he seemed to be recovering well. The bandages still covered his hands and the burn across the back of his shoulders. He was struggling with the remote when his little mole rat jumped up onto the bed and changed the channel for him. Ron patted him on the head and she could read his lips. _"Thanks little buddy."_ She jumped down from the tree, landing silently on the ground. Team Possible wasn't her assignment tonight, but she had a few minutes to spare. She slipped into the park behind the hospital and made her way to the rendezvous point. The ninja looked around to make sure she wasn't being followed and watched the bend in the trail some 200 feet away. After a few minutes a figure rounded the corner. She studied the tall muscular man walking his German Shepard through the park. He had short brown hair and a hard jaw, his normal look of vigilance plastered on his face. He walked with measured steps, almost as if marching, a habit left over from his military days. No one would find that odd though, he was well known for being a hard line retired military man. He walked with the leash in his left hand and his coat draped over his arm. It was her contact, Steve Barkin. She stuck the envelope with the papers in it on the back of the park bench and slipped back into the shadows to ensure nothing went wrong. He stopped and sat down to retie his shoelace, setting his coat over the bench. He finished and picked up his coat, the envelope captured in its folds, and continued his walk through the park. She watched from the shadows for a few minutes to ensure that no one was following him. Satisfied, she slipped away into the night.

* * *

Monique was right, the test on Monday was no joke. It was a good thing that Ron didn't have much to do over the weekend after he was released from the hospital. He couldn't play video games or even play basketball with Felix yet, his hands were still quite sore. His dad had cancelled cable a few months ago after he had found out that Ron had sat in front of the TV for two days straight. His wife and him were rarely home to watch it anyways. So Ron had actually read the required chapters in his textbook for once. He had fallen asleep several times while reading it, but he had retained enough of it that he thought he did well on the first part of the test. He struggled through the last question though; it was an essay. It wasn't so hard to circle the multiple choice questions, or even fill in the blanks with short answers, but steady writing still bothered him. The bell rang as he finished up the last question and people began filing out of the room, turning in their tests as they left. Kim grabbed his books for him as he walked to the front and turned in his paper. 

"So, how did you do Ron?" she asked as they walked down the hall to their next class. It was Ron's most hated subject, math. It didn't help that the regular math teacher was on maternity leave and Mr. Barkin was filling in.

"I think that I actually did OK KP. I read the chapters Saturday night while you were out with Erik." People were looking at him and whispering, some pointing. _"Oh well, at least no one is calling me a loser," _Ron thought.

They entered the class, almost running over Bonnie who was standing just inside the doorway.

"Watch where you're going loser," Bonnie sneered.

"Bonnie, he's not a," Kim started angrily.

"Oh, hi Ron," Bonnie said flatly, interrupting Kim as she turned and sat down in her seat. Kim and Ron stood there flabbergasted.

"_She called me by my first name? Badical! She hasn't done that since I saved her from Gill back in Camp Wannaweep."_ He shivered involuntarily as he visualized the camp. The ticks, the mosquitoes, the chimpanzee mascot.

Kim frowned, staring daggers at Bonnie's back as she walked away. She looked over to Ron, who had just shivered. _"At least he's as creeped out about that as I am. Maybe high school evil is enough of a reason," _she thought as she considered kicking some Bonnie biscuit. "We better get to our seats Ron, here comes Barkin." She set his books on his desk and sat down at her own.

Mr. Barkin came in as the bell rang and wasted no time in getting the class started. "Quiet down and put your books away. Pop quiz people!" There was much grumbling as people put their books under their desks and prepared themselves for the quiz. _"The lesson, is to always be prepared,"_ he looked over to Ron who was fiddling with his pencil, trying to find a comfortable way to hold it. _"No matter what the circumstances." _Mr. Barkin passed out the quizzes and paced back and forth in front of the class, scrutinizing the students to ensure no one was cheating.

Halfway through the class Kim was called to the office by the loudspeaker. She didn't seem as surprised as Ron and gave him a smile as she left the class. _"I wonder that was about?"_ Ron thought to himself.

"Stoppable! Are you paying attention?" Mr. Barkin asked as he finished writing on the blackboard.

"Yes Mr. B.," he replied.

"Good, then you can come up to the blackboard and solve this equation."

Ron stood up, making his way to the blackboard. He recognized the equation; it was just like the one on his makeup homework that the tweebs had helped him with a week ago. Ron picked up the chalk, holding it gingerly, and began to solve the equation. The chalk clattered to the floor and broke in two as it slipped from his grip. A few people in the class snickered as he bent down and picked up the pieces. His ears turned red as he angrily gripped the chalk tightly, the edges pushing painfully into his still healing skin, and finished the equation. He turned and took his seat as Mr. Barkin checked over the equation.

"That is correct Stoppable, well done" he said surprised. _"Good, I'm finally getting through to you."_

The bell rang and people rushed for the doorway. Ron struggled with his books, finally getting them all picked up and headed for the doorway. They slipped from his hands and slipped out on the floor and he kneeled to pick them up. Someone knelt down and helped him pick them up. He stood up and looked into their, her, face. "Thanks…" he began, suddenly realizing who helped him, "Bonnie." He held out his hands for the rest of his books.

Bonnie just looked at his hands and then up at his face. She sighed, "give me them." She held out her hands for the rest of his books.

He paused, taken aback. "I…" 

"Well come on. We are in the next class together, don't make a big deal of it," she said as he handed her his books. _"Gosh I hope this doesn't come back to bite me."_

They left the class and walked down the hallway, drawing stares from their fellow students all along the hallway. A few began to whisper but were silenced when Bonnie flashed an angry look at them, her head held high.

"What's the matter Stoppable? Does the poor baby have to have a girl carry his books for him," teased one of his classmates, Arny Custer.

"Like you're one to talk. Go crawl under a rock bed wetter," Bonnie snapped at him. _"Idiot, I have dirt on almost everybody. Do you think people tolerate me because of my pleasant demeanor? You should tell your little sister to keep her mouth shut." _

Arny turned red and took a step toward her. Ron didn't say anything, he just stepped in front of her and stared Arny down. Arny saw the hard set look on Ron's face and thought better of escalating the argument.

"You aren't worth my time," he said with a bit of shake in his voice. _"How did she know that?"_

Bonnie and Ron continued to class, no one else bothered them along the way.

* * *

Wade sat down with the red Kimmunicator that he had given to Ron. This is why he so rarely gave Ron any new gadgets, the Kimmunicator wasn't even two days old and it had to be rebuilt. Well, that reason as well as the fact that Ron tended to injure himself trying to figure out what the gadgets did. "The antenna is totally smashed, no wonder I couldn't get a signal off it." He took the cover off of the Kimmunicator and connected a cable to the bottom. He hit a few buttons on his computer keyboard and began downloading the information off of it. The Kimmunicators were programmed to record sound and video streams when they were out of Wade's download signal range. His grew quiet as he heard what happened during the battle. The fighting he heard was fierce and serious. Unfortunately he couldn't see anything but the inside of Ron's pocket. His eyes grew wide when the Kimmunicator slid from Ron's pocket when Shego tackled him. He saw bits and pieces of the fighting; much of it was off screen, even from the bubble eye of the Kimmunicator's camera. The explosion of Dr. Drakken's doomsday device knocked out the microphone and blasted the Kimmunicator into a pile of debris. Call it divine grace, providence, or just plain luck, but the Kimmunicator landed facing Ron and Shego lying on the ground after the explosion. It caught every detail of what transpired during the moments after the explosion. Shego saving Ron's life, tears running down her face, and the ensuing moments of chaos following. As he replayed the video he didn't know whether or not he should show this to either Kim or Ron. They both had to have their game face on when the faced Shego. The only thing he knew for sure is that if Shego found out he had this recording he had better find a better hiding spot than in his basement.

* * *

Author's note: Well, I know there weren't any action sequences in this chapter. I wrote this chapter to tidy up some of the threads I had left dangling in the previous chapters as well as to set up situations for future chapters. I will endeavor to write this week but I can't a can't guarentee anything, it is the holiday season. 


	8. Chapter 8: Yori visits

Author's Notes: Gosh it has been a while since my last update, the holidays hit my schedule up hard. I have quite a bit more typed but am not happy with it as of yet. I was going to try to cover all the angles of all the differant characters, but have realized my writing skills are not at that level yet. I would like to thank everyone for their reviews and especially GhostWhiter for agreeing to beta for me. Enjoy!

* * *

Ron sat in the bleachers at the school assembly. This one was on the dangers of substance abuse. The guest speaker was relating his story of how drugs ruined his life. Ron yawned as the guest speaker finished up his story. The rest of the students seemed as bored as he was. Kim elbowed him as he started to nod off; Erik chuckled a little. 

"Ron, wake up, you don't want another detention do you?" Kim asked. "Mr. Barkin is looking this way."

Ron snapped awake and sat upright, spotting Mr. Barkin. Sure enough he seemed to be scrutinizing him. "That guy has had it in for me for years. There are a dozen people dozing off here, why doesn't he have to always pick on me?" He flexed his hands nervously.

"The funny look incident in ninth grade, remember?" Kim whispered. "Barkin said it himself when you two got stuck together with the bondo ball."

Ron just grumbled as Mr. Barkin made his way to the podium. He leaned over the microphone and spoke to the students. "Let's give a big round of applause to Mr. Schultz for sharing his unfortunate experience with us." There was a smattering of people clapping their hands. "I said big round of applause people!" He nodded his head at the more acceptable level of applause. He lifted his hand, waiting for the noise to die down. "I have an announcement to make. We once again have an exchange student from our sister school in Japan. I would like you all to give a warm Mad Dog welcome to Yori from Yaminouchi."

Kim and Ron's jaws dropped as they saw their ninja ally walk into the gym. She was wearing her typical Japanese schoolgirl's outfit, white with purple trim, with a purple headband holding back her black hair. Students gave her a round of applause and she sat in the front row, her eyes catching Ron's as she smiled. _"Yori? Here? Now? Booyah!"_ Ron thought as a grin spread across his face.

The assembly ended as the final bell rang. Several male students that wanted to "meet the new girl" approached Yori. Bonnie was right behind them to assess the threat to her standing.

Ron reached the bottom of the bleachers and he flashed his goofy grin. "Hi Yori!" he said with a wave. The students talking to her turned to see who had called her name. They turned back towards Yori, only to find that she wasn't there anymore.

Yori bowed in front of Ron, having stepped past her admirers at just the precise moment as they turned so they didn't notice her. "Stoppable-san, it is an honor to see you again."

Ron returned the bow happily. "Please. Call me Ron-san." He straightened up. "You know Kim of course, and this is her boyfriend Erik."

"Hello Possible-hime, it is good to see you again. It is nice to meet you as well Erik." Yori bowed slightly to the two of them as the crowd that had previously gathered around her grumbled and wandered off.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and walked off, slightly annoyed. _"Figures. At least she won't be a threat to me if she's fawning over Ron." _She walked to the locker room to change for cheer practice.

"It is nice to see you again as well Yori," Kim started, "But I have to get ready for cheer practice. Are you coming Ron?" _"I wonder why she's here this time?"_

"Yori and I have a lot of catching up to do. I think I will sit this one out." Ron stated, a little sheepishly. _"I hate ducking out on KP, but something might be up."_

"There is no need Stoppable-san. I want to be here after cheer practice, to walk to my new residence." Yori said, raising a finger.

"You aren't staying at Ron's?" Kim asked.

"No Possible-hime, that wouldn't be proper. And while he is fond of Stoppable-san, I don't think that Hirotaka-chun would be pleased with such an arrangement.

"Oh." _"So she's dating Hirotaka now, lucky girl." _"Who are you staying with?" Kim asked.

"I have the honor of staying with you," Yori said sweetly, looking at Kim.

* * *

Kim was anxious for practice to be over, she wanted to know exactly why Yori was here. She started the routine as the smiling Japanese girl watched her and the squad work. Yori watched as Kim flipped to the top of the Mad Dog pyramid. _"She shifts her weight unto her back foot too much. It would cost her if someone attacked at that moment."_ Ron did his tumbling routine, complete with handsprings and back flips across the floor. _"There is little of the way of the ninja in his movements. I have much work to do."_

After practice Ron, Yori, Kim, and Erik went to Bueno Nacho to talk. Kim and Yori sat across from each other quietly as Ron and Erik went up to the counter to order. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence Kim spoke.

"It's so nice of you to come visit us. To what do we owe the honor?" Kim asked.

"_Well spoken Possible-hime, straight to the point, yet polite. I wondered how long it would take you to ask." _Ron and Erik arrived at the table_. "You have waited too long this time none the less." _"It is common for students in my school to exchange to experience other cultures. It helps us with international opportunities when after we graduate."_ "Not a lie, just not the whole truth."_

"So you've been planning this for a while then?" Kim asked.

"The opportunity came suddenly and I chose Middleton because I already had friends here. I'm very grateful your parents were so agreeable to the idea, it would have been… improper to stay at Stoppable-sans house." Yori watched Kim's face for a reaction.

Kim paused a second, betraying her surprise. _"Why didn't my parents tell me!?" _"That's wonderful news, we get to spend some time together." _"Good, now I can find out why you're really here."_

Kim ate her meal thoughtfully as Ron and Yori walked circles around a conversation, trying not to give away the secret of the Yaminouchi School. _"It's plainly obvious they can't have a conversation with Erik around." _Kim finished her meal quickly"I should get going, I have a lot to catch up on tonight. Could you walk Yori to my house when you two finish up Ron?" _"I still can't believe my parents didn't tell me she was going to be staying."_

"Sure thing KP," Ron said with a grin, genuinely happy. This was the happiest Kim had seen him in some time.

"Thanks Ron. See you later." Kim said turning around thoughtfully. _"It has been awhile since he has been happy. I wish I knew what was wrong, but he keeps skirting the subject every time I ask him."_

"Later Ron," Erik said as he dumped his tray into the trash and left to give Kim a ride home in his car.

Ron and Yori chatted for a while and finished their meals. Ron had told her what had been going on with missions and she told him how things were going at the Yaminouchi School. The sun had set by the time they had stopped talking.

"We should probably get going. I have homework to complete and you still need to get settled in," Ron stated, rising to his feet. He glanced over, seeing one of the school's 'gossip mongers' pretending not to listen in on their conversation. _"Besides, I want to ask you some questions and I don't need prying ears overhearing something they shouldn't."_

"Hai, Stoppable-san. I agree. We can finish catching up on our walk." Yori answered. She got up and they left the restaurant, walking quickly in the brisk night. Yori pointed to the park up ahead. "Let us cut through there, Stoppable-san." She began to veer towards the entrance.

"That will take us a few blocks out of our way."

"I know Stoppable-san, but what better place to talk?"

"_I knew something was up,"_ Ron thought to himself. "OK Yori, it's not like it's up the side of a mountain or anything though." Ron grinned.

"Always with the American style humor Stoppable-san." Yori replied with a smile. They entered the park, walking along the pathway.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you here again, but is something wrong Yori?" Ron began in a low tone.

Yori looked around to make sure they weren't being followed. "No Stoppable-san. Sensei said that he told you that you must to learn to control your power. He decided that you needed an immediate teacher to help you along the way. I seized the honor."

"But couldn't we just have had Kim teach me martial arts?"

Yori suppressed a giggle. "Stoppable-san, fighting is not the only thing involved in martial arts. I will teach you what Kim has yet to master, discipline and self-control. They are more difficult to master than any kick or punch."

She paused, sensing something amiss. Ron held still as well, recognizing her cue. A dog suddenly began barking on the trail up ahead. They began walking quietly up the trail and saw a man walking a large German Shepard. Ron's heart nearly skipped a beat as he realized it was his arch nemesis, well sort of. It was Mr. Barkin.

"Stoppable, isn't it a little late to be strolling through the park?" Mr. Barkin said loudly. "I would only hope that you have your assignment done this time if you have time to dilly dally through the park at this hour."

"No worries Mr. B. I'm on my way home to do it right now." Ron stated with false cheer. _"Why do I have to run into him everywhere I go? He subs in half my classes and seems to hover over me in the hallways. I shouldn't have given him that funny look in the 9th grade…"_

Mr. Barkin simply "Hmphed" and was on his way, his dog marching obediently by his side. Ron and Yori continued down the path. Yori was discreetly eying the bushes as they passed by. She locked eyes with a figure in a ninja mask as recognition flashed across her face. Yori slide her fingers apart in her left hand and two shruiken dropped silently into her fingers. She reflected the overhead light off the steel to the ninja in the bushes; the ninja had recognized her as well. The ninja's green eyes sparkled in amusement as she slid back further in the bushes. Ron walked on oblivious, as Yori followed slightly behind him.

"So when do we start Yori?" Ron asked.

"You will start tonight. I want you to make sure you finish the homework that Mr. Barking spoke of."

"Aww, man! That tanks!" Ron quipped back, scuffing the ground.

Yori rolled her eyes. _"He has far to travel."_ "Discipline is necessary in all forms of life, not just during meditation and sparring. We will practice those as well though, starting tomorrow after school."

* * *

Kim looked on the two people sparring in front of her. It had been a couple of days after she had arrived when Yori suggested they restart their sparring matches during the weekends. Something was up though. Ron was losing, badly. He was never up to her level in fighting, but he shouldn't be doing this poorly. She looked back to the match with a critical eye. 

Ron grunted as he took another hit. He threw a half-hearted punch; trying to make it look good and felt his feet leave the ground as Erik threw him. He rolled with the throw lessening its impact. A smile engulfed Erik's face.

"Ok, that's enough guys," Kim said with a bit of a frown. Ron bowed to Erik. Erik gave him a bit of a nod in return. He strode out of the sparring area and grabbed a water bottle, taking a swig.

Ron began walking out of the sand pit with a look at Yori, who had watched on. She slowly bowed her head, a smile playing at her face. "You did well, Stoppable-san."

Erik walked towards Kim, "How about a kiss for the victor?" he asked with a swagger and a smile. She walked right past him towards Ron.

"Are you OK Ron?" she asked.

"Yah, KP, I'm fine," he said with a grin.

"You're not feeling ill? How are your ribs?" Kim asked with concern. _"It was almost like he was holding back."_

"No, I'm not sick KP and my ribs are OK. Everything is pretty much healed up, still a little tender, but no big."

Erik rolled his eyes, his face turning a bit red. "He'll be just fine Kim, he's used to losing." He stepped back with a gulp, realizing what he had just said, as Kim spun around quickly.

Her eyes glowered at him as she spoke quietly, "Don't call him a loser, ever."

"I didn't mean it that way Kim," Erik said sheepishly. "Sorry if it came out that way Ron."

"No big deal Erik," Ron stated with a grin, his flushed face saying otherwise. _"I don't really care what Erik thinks, but this is hard to do in front of Kim." _"Nice throw by the way, that wasn't karate."

"Kim has taught me a few things," Erik said, his smile creeping back onto his face.

"And it's time for the next lesson," Kim stated. _"In humility."_

"We really should be going now Stoppable-san," Yori said standing up and brushing off her gi. "You promised to show me the hiking trails this morning."

"Oh, yah. I forgot. Bye Kim, later Erik." Ron said as he gathered his gear.

"Goodbye Ron, bye Yori!" Kim said with a smile, Erik waved. She stepped into the sparring area and turned to Erik. "Now we will brush up on the basics." _"Like respect for your opponent."_

* * *

Yori and Ron left for their walk after he dropped off his duffle bag and changed into sweats. Yori spoke of school and the people that she had met while Ron listened, seemingly troubled. _"Why? Why did I have to lose?"_ he thought. 

"Are you listening to me Stoppable-san?" Yori questioned sweetly.

"Yes Yori. You were saying that you admire Justine Flanners work ethic and are glad you partnered up with her for chemistry."

"Very good Stoppable-san, though I believe you were truly somewhere else."

"I just was thinking about sparring today," he said as they turned onto the old trail leading to the abandoned amusement park.

"Hai, you did very well in your mission today."

"If you mean by losing, yah, I guess I did." He stopped and looked at her, "Why did I have to do it though? Isn't the point of sparring to do the best you can?"

"If I was only teaching you to fight, then yes Stoppable-san." She began walking again, "But I am here to teach you discipline. It is difficult to win against a well-matched opponent, but it is more difficult to lose to an inferior opponent. Especially one you don't seem to care for."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the trees as they walked, "I don't mind Erik, we're OK with each other."

Yori covered her mouth a little as she suppressed a giggle. "Oh Stoppable-san, you are an open book for the world to see. Your attempts at deception need some work."

Ron blushed and scuffled his feet. "It's that obvious?"

"Hai Stoppable-san," she said, nodding her head. "But we will work on that as well. Deception is one of a ninja's best weapons."

"I don't want to be a liar though Yori. It's just not right."

"What is stealth if not deception of your presence? Learning the arts of deception does not make you into a liar Stoppable-san; it allows you to conceal your emotions and thoughts from your enemies who may wish to read them. You did well today with it, though I believe Possible-hime suspects something."

"So the sparring was practice in discipline and deception?" Ron questioned.

Yori nodded her head slowly, "and more. What did you learn today?"

"That Erik is as poor at winning as he is at losing?"

"Hai, I have seen many like him before, though they rarely make it into Yaminouchi. He does not respect those he has bested. And what did you learn of Kim?"

"Nothing I didn't know already Yori. She stuck up for me when Erik started bad-mouthing me."

"Hai, and she ignored him until she knew you were OK. You now know where you stand with both of them."

"So you were testing them as well?"

"Everything is a test Stoppable-san. Now we shall test our endurance. First one to the carnival grounds gets to pick the place for lunch."

Ron ended up having sushi in Upperton for lunch.

* * *

The next few weeks went by quickly for Ron with school, cheer practice, and training with Yori. Ron improved with her tutelage, though he grew quite used to eating sushi. 

Ron and Yori sat facing each other in the lotus position, their knees touching. "Good Stoppable-san, now focus on your breathing. Draw power in when you inhale, and focus it when you exhale."

Ron drew in a breath feeling the mystical monkey power coalesce inside of him. His eyes began to glow blue. He exhaled as she taught him, losing only a little of the power. Focusing the power was much harder than calling it. Sensei had told him that it would come as naturally as breathing for him with practice. He repeated the stepped until his body dimly glowed blue and a charge filled the air, a gentle breeze kicked up in the exercise room, shuffling the papers around. Ron smiled; it felt good drawing the mystical monkey power. It heightened his senses and the pain and stiffness in his body faded away. He felt powerful, like a coiled spring.

"That is good Stoppable-san. Slowly release the power now."

Ron exhaled letting his focus slip a little with each breath until all the power had drained away. "Aww, I wanted to see how bright I could make it."

Yori looked at him with her 'serious face'. "It is not for me to test the strength of your power, but to help you control it. Building any more than that could be dangerous if you lose your focus. You must be careful and make certain that no one sees you using your power. Sensei says it is to remain a secret."

"Even from Kim?" Ron asked sadly. _"I hate hiding things from her. I hide my feelings to protect our friendship, but I don't even like that."_

"Kim may find out eventually, as she did about Yaminouchi, but do not reveal it to her before it is necessary. You have done well these past weeks, I hope you will remain diligent in your training after I leave."

"I will Yori, thank you."

"It has been my honor Ron-san," she said with a smile. We should get ready now though, guests should be arriving shortly for the farewell party. Mr. Possible is picking up nacos."

"Badical!" Ron said with a smile, pumping his arm up and down. He stood up and gave her his hand to pull her to her feet. Together they walked upstairs to prepare for the party.

* * *

Author's Notes: One thing that I worry about as a writer is holes in the story that I can't recognize as the writer. I am also concentrating on trying to make a smooth transition of the character's personalities to encompass new abilities and revelations I put the character through (ie: Ron becoming a more proficent fighter, Shego recusitating Ron when he died for a moment, etc.) What I am trying to say is are the jumps in the character's actions/reactions too OOC for what they are going through in the story? If you have an opinion I would appreciate you addressing it in a review, or even email/PM if that's more comfortable for you.

Thanks!

Aedan


	9. Chapter 9: Unexpected Meetings

Author's Notes: Unfortuanately Disney owns KP, I don't. This piece of Fiction is mine however. The italicized text represents conscious thought. I would like to make a shout out to my beta-reader Ghostwhiter and to Joe Stoppinghem and Criminal Critic for reviewing chp 8. Thanks guys! Now on with the show!

_

* * *

_

_"It's been an interesting few weeks since Yori left,"_ Ron thought as he ducked quickly into the boys bathroom. He let the door close behind him as he heard 'her' voice in the hallway behind him, tearing into someone that had inadvertently stepped in front of her chosen path. Bonnie had found walking with him quite enjoyable, especially when she knew they would run into Kim. It always got Kim going when Bonnie and Ron walked into the room at the same time and Bonnie knew it. Ron had begun avoiding 'bumping' into Bonnie in the hallway. _"It's not like I haven't thought about going out with Bonnie. I mean, I kinda did when I got all that money from Bueno Nacho. I wonder if she knows that I'm still getting royalties? Or is she just enjoying how much it tweaks Kim when she walks up and sees her standing next to me?"_ Ron had thought it over. _"Either way it's not doing anything for my friendship with Kim."_ He suddenly noticed the chuckles and laughter coming from one of the bathroom stalls. He rolled his eyes and went to leave, not even wanting to know what was going on. He was half out the doorway when he recognized a voice.

"Come on guys. I took a shower this morning, I don't need my hair washed," begged a nasally voice.

_"Ned?"_ Ron thought. He turned and walked back into the bathroom. Two feet were visible over the top of the stall and four below it.

"Hey Ned, you coming to class?" Ron asked calmly, walking towards the stall. He didn't have class with Ned. Ned was a senior, but he didn't want to be the one to force a confrontation.

"Beat it dork, unless you need your hair washed too," said a deep voice from in the stall as the other one chuckled. Ron recognized one of the voices; it was one of senior jocks."_So much for avoiding a direct confrontation."_

"I am a little sweaty," Ron replied. "I just got done with gym class." He stopped in the open area of the bathroom, just in case he had to back up his mouth.

Two seniors put Ned down and came out of the stall quickly, intent that the smart mouth not escape their punishment. The looks of anger on their faces switched to surprise and then apprehension as they realized who was standing in front of them, his usual grin plastered on his face. The bigger one dropped his hands to his sides. "Oh, I didn't know it was you. Sorry about the dork remark."

"I didn't mind the dork remark at all," Ron stated happily. The two seniors relaxed visibly. He dropped his voice a little lower and his eyes hardened, "I am a bit tweaked about how you are treating my friend here though."

Their faces blanched as they saw the cold, serious look on Ron's face. It wasn't the face they were used to seeing on him, and after what he had done to Brick and Joe they were a bit concerned. The smaller senior picked up the books on the floor and turned to Ned. "Sorry about that buddy, you know we were just playing around right?"

"Umm, I guess. No hard feelings," Ned stammered. _"Just don't come to Bueno Nacho or you might have a surprise in your naco. Buddy."_

"Let's go Ned," Ron said to him, turning towards the door. "If we don't hurry we'll both be late to class." They left the bathroom and hurried down the hallway. At the intersection they had to go their separate ways.

"Thanks Ron," Ned said, his face still red with a mix of embarrassment and gratitude.

"No big Ned, that's what buds are for." He waved as he rushed to his next class. _"Well at least I didn't have to use force that time."_ The bell rang and he slowed back down to a walk. He was already late; it would probably be detention and another missed cheer squad practice. He didn't need to get in trouble for running in the halls as well. Mr. Barkin had really been keeping an eye on him since the last incident. He had been the one that was getting picked on that time. It was a few weeks after the football team lost the last football game of the year. They had been knocked out of contention for the state finals. Quite a few of the seniors on the football team were pissed at him for Brick getting expelled. Like it was his fault. He remembered back to that moment in the locker room….

* * *

Ron was soaked with sweat as he pulled off his 'Mad Dog' mask. It really got hot in there, especially when he was performing acrobatics on the field. He knew some of the football players were a little tweaked with him. They blamed him for Brick getting expelled, and so it was his fault that they had lost in the semifinals for the Division one state champion earlier last week. Mr. Barkin had been stepping up practice for the football team in response to their loss and the football players were in a foul mood because of it. At least the cheer squad wasn't tweaked with him, quite the opposite actually. Bonnie had let the story of what happened in the corridor that day out to all the rumor mills. Ron knew that he had thoroughly beaten Brick that day, but the way the story grew you could have sworn he was Chuck Norris on speed. _"Well at least no one really bothers me much anymore."_ Sure there were snide remarks and pointing of fingers, but no one laid a hand on him. He could even walk through D Hall without being harassed. 

Ron packed away his stuff and decided to go home to take his shower. The football players were coming into the locker room from practice now and while none of them would bother him alone, he knew that in a group they would be bolder. He didn't want to fight if he didn't have to, but he had decided after that day against Brick that he wouldn't lie down for anyone anymore. He picked up his bag and started heading toward the doorway. _"At least none of them has tried to start something yet,"_ Ron thought as he neared the doorway.

"Hey Stoppable, you happy now? It's your fault we didn't make state." Joe Jones, the team center, was walking toward him.

"No," Ron replied simply._ "Looks like I spoke too soon."_

_"_Good, we're not happy either," Joe stated flatly. A few of the other football players voiced their agreement.

"Make him pay for it Joe!" a voice called out from the back.

"Maybe I will. I'll be sporting though Stoppable. Tell everyone here you're sorry for getting Brick expelled and then quit the cheer squad and I'll let you go. We're sick of seeing you on the field aren't we guys?" A few of the players nodded in agreement.

One of them shook his head. "Remember what happened to Brick, Joe. I can't say that he didn't deserve it though, treating a woman like that." It was Erik. Even with him being new to the school he had already earned a spot on the team as safety.

"Whose side are you on anyways?" Joe quipped at him. "It was a fluke, Brick didn't expect him to fight back. I do." He cracked his knuckles and advanced. "Ready for a beating loser?"

Ron's face hardened as anger bubbled up inside of him. He had quite enough of being pushed around. Ron took a breath through his nose and blew out slowly through his mouth like Yori had taught him, trying to control his emotions, keeping his power at bay. He stood there, holding his bag in one hand as Joe came in, throwing a jab at him. He leaned back, Joe's fist barely falling short. As Joe went to pull his hand back Ron grabbed the back of his hand and twisted. He stepped to the outside, applying pressure and locking his wrist. He pulled up, locking up Joe's elbow and forcing him to his knees to alleviate some of the pressure on his shoulder. Everyone grew quiet in the locker room, none of them saw Ron fight Brick and they were taken aback by the ease in which Ron had incapacitated Joe.

"Don't hurt him Ron," Erik said, stepping towards him nervously.

Ron ignored him, speaking down to Joe. "I'm sorry that you lost the state championship. I'm also sorry that Brick was too stupid to realize that hitting a woman and bullying people just because they are weaker than him is wrong." He gave a little twist and Joe tensed as his joint screamed. "I'm not sorry for what I did to him though. He deserved it." He let go of Joe's arm and turned, walking out of the locker room. _"I didn't mean what I said about Brick, I was just acting tough, wasn't I?"_ He was confused as he walked home. Ron thought he would have been happy that he stopped a fight without anyone getting hurt, but that's all he had felt was sad remorse. _"I suppose it's better than the shame of being beaten up,"_ he had thought.

* * *

Ron shook the thoughts of the past week from his head as he entered the classroom, late. He was right, Mrs. Hazelwurth was pretty disappointed and gave him detention for being late to class, again. Kim looked at him with concern from her seat. Ron gave her half-hearted grin and shrugged his shoulders. Mrs. Hazelwurth continued her lecture on the anatomy of the fetal pig they'd be dissecting tomorrow as Ron took his seat. 

"Late again Ron. What is going on lately?" Kim asked as Erik came up beside her and took her hand. They were just leaving class and Ron was on his way to detention.

_"If you weren't so busy you'd know,"_ Ron thought. "It's no big KP, I just had something I had to do. We can talk about it later, I have to get to detention." He thought for a moment, "Maybe we can meet up at Bueno Nacho later? Say 5:00?"

Kim blushed, "Sorry Ron, I have a committee meeting for the Spring Spirit Dance after cheer practice. Maybe tomorrow?"

"No Kim, we're going to the movies tomorrow remember?" Erik piped in.

"Oh yeah. I'll just call you later tonight Ron." _"Figures."_ "OK KP, talk to you later." Ron went to his locker and picked up the rest of his homework, at least he could get that out of the way in detention.

Ron finished with his detention and went home. It was a bit boring without Yori around and with Kim constantly busy with Erik. He sighed, "at least I don't have anything to get in the way of my training." Yori had left him with a training regimen that would whip him into shape, sticking to it would be the exercise in discipline. She told him that she would know if he followed it when she saw him next. He didn't want to disappoint her. She was a good friend, but she had a wicked spinning back kick and she wasn't afraid to use it when she was disappointed. He finished up his exercises and meditation and showered.

Shortly after dinner the phone rang. "Can you get that Ronnie?" his mother called from the living room.

"Sure thing mom!" he hollered back, wiping the dish suds from his hands before picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Ron!"

"Hey KP. What's up?" Ron asked.

"I just want to know how you're doing."

"I'm OK KP."

"You seem a little bummed lately. I thought you'd be psyched, you're doing better in school and have been doing great in our sparring sessions." _"A little too great,"_ Kim thought_, "I think Erik's poor ego is crushed, and I still have a bruise from the throw that Ron slipped by me."_

"Yeah, it kinda tanks that Yori had to go home last week. It was nice to have someone to hang out with besides Felix."

"I'm sorry Ron. You had that talk with me weeks ago and we still haven't been hanging out as much as we used to. Hmm." Kim thought of when they could do something special together. "Well this Saturday is Valentine's Day and Erik wants to take me out to eat, we have cheer practice and I have another Dance committee meeting on Thursday. Wednesday is the commercial for Ford. How about next Friday? I can pick you up in the new car. We can do whatever you want."

"Sounds good KP, I'll plan something. I hope we can do Bueno Nacho or something before then though." _"It's only Thursday."_

"Sure thing Ron, maybe after cheer practice on Monday. You're coming over to practice sparring Sunday aren't you?"

"Yeah KP. I'll be there, bright and early." He smiled at that. Kim really wasn't a morning person.

Kim rolled her eyes and sighed, "You think you're going to gain an advantage by me being groggy?"

"Darn straight KP, I need all the help I can get!"

They talked a little while longer before they hopped off the phone. _"I can't believe I forgot about Valentine's Day. I have to pick up a card for Kim!"_

Ron drained and rinsed the sink. "Mom, can I use the car to go to Smarty Mart. I need to pick something up."

His mother looked up from the work she was doing at the coffee table. She smiled at him sweetly, "You forgot about Valentine's Day again didn't you?"

"Umm, yeah Mom."

"You're lucky I'm letting you with all the detention you have been getting lately. But I suppose." His parents often caved to his requests. He thought that perhaps they felt guilty for the long hours they worked and the business trips away from home.

"Thanks Mom. Have you spoken with Dad about letting me get a car yet?"

"Yes Ronnie. I have him half convinced."

"Kim is getting one next week from Ford for letting them take her photo for an ad."

She sighed; she hated Ron being so dependant on Kim all the time. _"That girl has been leading him on for far too long. He needs to find himself a nice Jewish girlfriend. I suppose a car couldn't hurt, he has enough money in trust."_ "You have been doing a great job with your work around the house lately. If you can keep yourself out of detention next week I will talk to your father about it again." She held out her car keys for him.

"I will Mom, thanks." He left and drove to Smarty Mart. "I'll have _to be extra careful this next week,"_ he thought, ducking down just a little as some of his classmates drove by. _"I hate driving this station wagon around."_ He put the car in park and walked into the store, heading toward the card aisle.

He turned the corner bumping into a young lady nearly knocking her over. Her basket tipped and a package tumbled towards the floor. Ron swooped down and scooped it out of the air before it hit the floor. "Sorry about that Miss," Ron began. He looked up at the young lady recognizing her. She was wearing blue jeans and a button up shirt with her long hair pulled into a ponytail. But there was no mistaking the woman he had met so many times,. "Shego!"

Shego looked at him with amusement. "Nice catch Stoppable."

Ron stood open-mouthed looking at her.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." She glanced left and right looking for someone. "Is Princess with you?"

"Umm, no." Ron answered.

"Good, I didn't want to have to fight in blue jeans. They aren't very well suited for fighting but they sure do look good, don't you think?" she said, turning a bit. _"Is she flirting with me?"_ "They look very nice, Shego. The green blouse is lovely as well."

She held her hand out for the item that he had caught, Smarty Mart's contact rinse. "Thanks Tiger. You stalking me or are you looking for something?"

"I didn't know you wore contacts."

"It's not for me, it's Dr. D's. You didn't answer my question."

"Oh. No. I have to pick up a Valentine's Day card," Ron stated.

"Ouuu, Ronnie have a girlfriend?" Shego asked with a grin on her face.

"Nah, I always get Kim one." Ron replied.

Shego rolled her eyes, "Figures." "Bleck, I can't stand that holiday. It's so sappy." _"And it reminds me of Jason."_

"Don't tell me that you don't get any Valentines."

Shego chuckled, "Drakken's henchmen learned a long time ago not to try, after the first few got out of traction. Motor Ed sent me one last year and stalked me like a puppy. The guy's a moron but he has guts." She looked up thoughtfully for a moment, "and he can take a punch."

"Oh."

"Hey Stoppable," Shego said, serious for a moment.

"Yeah Shego?"

"Don't tell Princess that you saw me here. I wouldn't be able to live it down if she found out I shop at Smarty Mart."

"Sure thing."

"Remember you owe me dinner."

"Anytime you want it Shego."

"I'll hold you to that. I better get going before Dr. D. forgets I'm out and moves the hoverlair. I told him no more mobile homes, but does he listen?"

Ron just stood there, unsure of what to say. "Umm, yeah."

Shego smiled, "Don't even think of following me Stoppable. I still owe you one from that kick you got me with."

"Oh, sorry about that."

Shego shook her head, "You're something else. See you around." She turned and walked down the aisle towards the checkouts, disappearing around the corner with a glance behind to see if he was looking. A smile spread across her face as she saw that he was.

"_Is it just me or did she add a little extra sway to her hips?"_ Ron thought. He walked to the card section in the aisle and picked one out for Kim. He glanced thoughtfully back at the corner Shego had disappeared around. He turned and picked out another card before he left.

* * *

Author's Notes: The Jason in the story is from Zaratan's "Ascent and Descent". The story was an inspiration to me and I have incorporated that background (up to So the Drama) into my vision of her character, with his permission of course. Thanks again Zaratan! To my readers, leave a review. It's free and it gives me with a warm fuzzy.


	10. Chapter 10: Dinner and a movie?

Author's Notes: As always, italicized text denotes active thought. I would like to thank my beta reader, ghostwhiter, for looking this over and suggesting needed changes. I would also like to thank those of you who left a review, you know who you are. And lastly, I'd like to thank Zaratan for letting me use Shego's background from his story "Ascent and Descent". If you haven't checked it out yet you should go do so. Now on with the story!

* * *

Shego stalked the hallways of the hover lair, scowling at all those who crossed her path. It was Saturday and she was still grumpy about having to spend her Friday night singing karaoke with Dr. Drakken. Not that she didn't like him; he was more like a father to him than anyone she could remember since the car accident. Hell, he was more of a father figure than her brother Hego was, with him constantly spouting off his hero rhetoric as 'fatherly' advice. She walked into the main lab to see Dr. Drakken leaning over the satellite he was working on, modifying it to receive the 'snoozulator' enhancement. Several henchmen stood around the room, guarding or performing other menial tasks. She paid them no attention. 

"Hey Dr. D., what's up?" she asked, watching him work.

"Errr, these soldering connections are a pain Shego. Can you hand me my spectacles?" Dr. Drakken asked, squinting into the magnifying glass. Shego handed him the glasses he recently had to get for reading and fine work. She looked at his hair, noticing the silver hair taking over, more prominent than when she had started working for him three years ago. "By the way Shego, you have mail on the table over there," he pointed to the console where he had a small stack of letters placed.

Shego walked over and picked up the stack as one of the new henchmen shot a nervous look her way. Another one chuckled at his compatriot's apprehension. Shego rolled her eyes as she picked up the blue envelope. It didn't even have a stamp on it. She opened it. _"When will they ever learn? I'm not interested in goons." _She let a look of surprise come over her face as she placed her fingertips over her heart. A sigh escaped her plush lips. "Who is Bob R.?" she whispered.

The nervous henchman looked up hopefully. "Ah, I am Miss Shego," he stammered.

Shego lifted her hand gracefully and blasted him off of his feet with a bolt of plasma. "You misspelled beautiful you moron!" she said, scowling at him as he tried to struggle to his feet, dazed. "Get him out of here," she ordered the portly henchman near him. He rushed to obey, dragging the henchman out of the main room. Shego threw the card in the wastebasket and opened the next one. It was from Motor Ed. She scanned it quickly.

"You are finer than a cherry red, 8.4 liter, 600HP, v10 Dodge Viper with nitrous and a turbonic charger valve. Be mine and I will take you on the ride of your life." It was signed, "Motor Ed".

She rolled her eyes at this one as well. "When will your idiot of a cousin take the hint that I'm not interested?" she asked, scowling at her blue skinned employer.

"Eddie? He is quite taken with you. In fact he said he'd be stopping over later to drop off a special gift for you."

"Great, the highlight of my Valentine's Day. My very own grease monkey stalker." The card from Motor Ed joined the one from the henchman in the trash bin. She tore open her last letter. It was another Valentine. _"At least it isn't a bill," _she thought as she read through the card.

"I never really knew you,

You were just another foe.

But what a different person,

You have decided to show.

You tended to my injuries,

As gently as a lamb.

Though it was your elbow,

That into my head did slam.

We cannot change the past,

Or how that fight did end.

I only hope it's not too late,

For me to be your friend."

It was signed, "Ron."

Shego's cheeks flushed as she read the Valentine. Dr. Drakken looked on in surprise. _"She's blushing? She hates receiving Valentines." _"Who is that one from Shego?"

"Oh, no one important Dr. D." _"You can't even remember his name most of the time."_

One of the henchmen peeked into the laboratory as Shego tucked away the Valentine. "Umm, Dr. Drakken… There is a man circling the cornfield around us in a pickup truck."

"Ah, that must be Ed," Dr. Drakken stated straightening up from his work. He peered over at the console and tapped a few buttons, bringing up the security camera. "Indeed it is. Send out someone to get him." The henchman scurried to obey.

"Great, let the torture commence," Shego commented, her features darkening in displeasure. Shego turned to the security cameras, flipping to the one on the lower bay where they parked the vehicles. The bottom door to the hoverlair lowered and a supped up pickup truck roared into the lower storage room. The brakes squawked as he slid to a stop, jostling the tarp covering the cargo in the back. Motor Ed jumped out of the pickup truck with his trademark yowl and played the air guitar as he dropped to his knees. He got up and grabbed some flowers out of the front seat of the truck and checked his mullet in the side mirror. Shego rolled her eyes and turned away from the screen scowling. Dr. Drakken continued puttering with the satellite as Motor Ed's stomping footsteps could be heard coming towards the laboratory.

"Ahhhhhh YEAH!" he yelled/sang as he burst into the room. He looked around spotting Shego. "There's my favorite black haired babe!" He began stomping towards her.

Shego lit up her plasma, preparing to hurtle it at the psycho-mechanic.

"With her green magic, seriously!" Ed stated, slowing down a little.

"Not around the snoozulator Shego!" Dr. Drakken pleaded.

Shego growled and let the plasma go out. "Fine, but I'm not putting up with this again this year," she threatened in a low voice that made Dr. Drakken cringe.

Motor Ed stuck the flowers out to her, unfazed.

She snatched the flowers away from him and gave him an evil grin. "Let me just find a basket for these." She walked over to the wastebasket and dropped them in, turning towards the doorway.

"So you're not a flowers type babe? That's OK. I made you something." Motor Ed cooed to her.

"Is it cybertronic?" Dr. Drakken asked eagerly. Motor Ed was a raving lunatic at times, but he was a genius at engineering and mechanical design.

Motor Ed folded his arms and turned to Dr. Drakken with a grin. "Chill blue bro. It's not cybertronic, but it is tricked out, seriously."

Shego looked at Dr. Drakken's hopeful eyes. He loved seeing the vehicles that Ed designed ever since the 'Dumbvee" incident. "Whatever, I'll take a look."

Dr. Drakken clasped his hands together excitedly and rushed to the elevator. Shego went next, followed by Motor Ed 'taking in the view'. The elevator descended to the lower bay and they walked to Ed's pickup truck. He hopped up on the side of the pickup truck and grabbed a hold of the tarp. He paused for a moment to build anticipation.

"Oh just get on with it!" Shego snapped at him. He yanked the tarp off to reveal a motorcycle. It was a crotch rocket with highly polished chrome accents, painted green and black to match Shego's jumpsuit. _"Wow, it's a lot better than the box of chocolates that he gave me last year," _She thought.

"Ouuuuu!" Dr. Drakken said, obviously impressed with the bike. "That's really nice."

"It is nice," Shego was forced to agree, the look of disdain temporarily replaced by surprise on her face.

"Black and green, just like your battle suit Shego. How does she ride Eddie?" Dr. Drakken asked.

"I don't know, but I sure wanna find out," Motor Ed stated with a grin, looking directly at Shego. "Seriously."

"_Oh, you son of a bitch,"_ Shego thought with a growl. She forced a sweet smile on her face, "Well I'm going to find out. You unload it, I'm going to get my helmet." She left to go to her room.

* * *

Ron sat in Felix's living room playing Zombie Mayhem III. 

"Aw man! Not again!" he stated as Felix beat him in another level of zombie splattering adventure. "You have the mad moves my friend!"

"Thanks Ron. Hey you sure you don't want to try and catch a date tonight? I saw the stack of Valentines you pulled out of your locker at school on Friday. I'm sure you could get someone to double with Justine and I." Felix grinned at his friend, setting down his controller for Rufus to take over. Rufus happily tapped the buttons, annihilating a zombie.

"Naw, a couple of them were anonymous, and a lot were from girls that are just friends, like the cheerleading squad," Ron said sheepishly. He had received a lot more than normal. He got a couple every year, but not like this year. There was the one he always got from Kim telling him how special their friendship was to her. He had gotten several anonymous ones and a few signed ones including one from Penny. None were as blatant as the one he got from Bonnie though. She didn't sign it, but he had a strong feeling that she wrote it. It read:

"I know you don't play sports,

so I'll make this very clear.

The food chain wouldn't matter,

if I could only have you near.

Why don't you just ask me,

to dinner Saturday?

Because you'll never score,

if you don't make a play."

It was signed, "B"

"I should get going though Felix. You need to get ready for your date!" Ron stated with forced happiness. _"The only girl I want is probably clinging to Erik's arm right now."_

"_He is so hung up on Kim. I don't know how to help.." _Felix thought to himself. "Well, try not to have too much fun then tonight," Felix said jokingly to his friend.

"My parents are going on a 'weekend honeymoon' so I got the house to myself. I'm going to practice mashing zombies all night long so I can own you when next we meet to battle!" Ron said holding the controller aloft. "Aww man! Not you too Rufus!"

"Ta dah!" Rufus exclaimed as he beat the level just before Ron did.

"No fair! I was distracted!" argued Ron as the mole rat gloated, doing a little victory dance. He put away the controller and Rufus skittered into his pocket, sensing his pet boy's intentions to leave. "Thanks for having me over Mrs. Renton!" Ron hollered at the kitchen.

"Any time Ronald," Felix's Mom answered.

"See ya later Ron!" Felix said as he hovered up in his chair heading for the stairs to his room.

"Later buddy!" Ron replied leaving to go home for the night.

* * *

Motor Ed looked on appreciatively as Shego came back from the elevator a little while later. She looked like she had done herself up a little bit, running a brush through her luxurious hair and putting on just a bit of makeup. She had her normal jumpsuit on, with her green leather jacket over it. A backpack was slung over her shoulders and she had her helmet tucked under her arm. 

"Here you go baby. Seriously, it's yours," Motor Ed cooed as Shego approached. He held one of the handlebars as she got on. She fired it up and listened to the purr of the engine.

"_Sounds great."_ She checked the fuel gauge, it read full. _"Perfect."_

"You like it babe?" Ed asked leaning in close, already knowing the answer.

"Yep. It's almost worth having to put up with you calling me babe," Shego said as she lit up her plasma. She lashed out with a right cross, sending him crashing into the side of his pickup, stunned. "Almost. Maybe next year motorhead." She grinned wickedly as she revved the engine and tore out of the hoverlair into the crisp February night.

Motor Ed struggled to his feet with a scowl on his face. He watched the tail lights disappear into the distance. "That is really messed up dude, seriously."

"I told you last year Eddie, she's not interested," Dr. Drakken stated with just a bit of a smirk. He headed towards the elevator to go back to the lab.

"She's just playing hard to get cousin. Seriously." Motor Ed pulled out a GPS unit and checked the screen; the green dot was going up the entrance ramp to a nearby highway, to Middleton. "I gotta go cousin," Ed said as he put away the GPS unit, "Seriously."

"Don't do anything rash now Eddie," Dr. Drakken said with a bit of ice in his throat.

Ed just looked up and grunted in response. He slammed the tailgate of his truck shut and hopped in. The engine roared to life and he jammed it into gear, whipping a doughnut and heading towards Middleton.

* * *

Ron finished his exercises and meditation as prescribed by Yori. He was feeling restless and couldn't concentrate, he kept thinking of Kim and Erik on their date, holding hands, kissing, doing dating things. He rose to his feet, "I have to work off some energy." He left his room and headed down to the basement. There was a small gym down there, recently dusted off when Yori visited. It was nothing special, just a thin mat, some weights, and a punching bag. Ron had already done his weight training for the day so he started working the bag. He circled, throwing kicks and punches before clinching up with the bag and hitting it with knees and elbows. 

Shego pulled up on the hill a block over from her target. She took out the envelope from the Valentine Ron gave her and double-checked the return address. The house below her was a quaint two-story home, indistinguishable from many of the others that lined the street at the bottom of the hill. She grabbed her backpack and pulled out a pair of thermo binoculars. She scanned the house and smiled as she say one human outline darting back and forth. She tried to make out what he was doing, but to not avail. She scanned the driveway and saw that the cars weren't there. _"Hopefully they will be gone for a while, debt or not I don't think they'd take kindly to me being there." _

Shego coasted down the hill and silently rolled the motorcycle into the driveway. She set the kickstand and hung her helmet on the handlebar, shaking out her hair. With a devilish grin she snuck around the back of the house and peered into the basement window. She shivered as she watched Ron working the bag for a little bit before she realized just how cold she was. She went back around front and rung the doorbell.

Ron heard the doorbell and gave the bag a few final kicks. He jogged up the steps and made his way to the front room. _"I wonder who that is? I sure hope it's not Bonnie come to berate me for not asking her out. Nah, I don't think she'd do that, she'd just pretend like she never sent me the Valentine. Better for her image that way." _

"_What is taking him so long?"_ Shego thought with a frown.

Ron opened the door and jumped a little, startled by who he saw on his stoop. "Shego!" _"Oh crap! I shouldn't have sent her that Valentine, she's going to kill me,"_ he thought, seeing the frown on her face.

"Hey Stoppable, you going to let me in? It's freezing out here." She crossed her arms, trying not to shiver.

"Oh, yeah, come in." Ron stepped aside letting her walk into the living room. He closed the door, noticing the motorcycle parked in the driveway. "You rode a motorcycle over here in this weather!?"

"Yeah, well, it was convenient," she stated with a shrug. "It's a good thing you didn't have plans tonight, I've come to collect on my debt." She removed her coat, _"It's holding in more cold than warmth anyways,"_ she thought.

"How did you know I didn't have plans?" Ron asked.

"Doy. You're sweating and dressed in a gi. Not exactly dating attire." She stated, raising her eyebrows.

He took her coat and hung it up. "Oh, yeah. What are you hungry for? Perhaps I can start you off with a hot chocolate. You must be cold from your ride," he stated sheepishly, pretending not to notice her slight shivering.

"That would be a nice starter. Then you can cook the dishes you mentioned when you were on the hoverlair, if you have the ingredients."

Ron turned to walk to the kitchen, Shego followed. "The shrimp alla griglia and Grandma Possible's chocolate cake?" he asked.

"Yep." Shego nodded and sat at the kitchen table as Ron washed his hands and started some water heating. He checked the cupboards and refrigerator to make sure he had all the ingredients and smiled in satisfaction.

"I have everything I need. You're not allergic to anything are you?" he asked.

"Just redheads," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Ron asked.

" I said no food allergies."

Ron stirred the hot chocolate and set it in front of Shego. "It isn't much of a first course, but it will help warm you up." He turned and began pulling ingredients out of various places and setting them on the counter.

Can I help with anything?" Shego asked.

"Not this time Shego. I said I owed you dinner, I should make it."

"_Not this time? He'd be willing to do it again? After all I've done to them?" _"So what have you been up to that you're dressed in a gi?" she asked, feigning curiosity.

"I've been practicing a little bit. I used to hate to but it's been helping me unwind lately when I have too much going through my mind."

"Princess making you practice for the missions?" Shego asked, trying to keep the venom out of her voice as she mentioned Kim's pet name.

Ron stiffened up for a moment, _"Relax Mad Dog, she's trying."_ "No, I decided to do it on my own. I want to be more useful during the missions. As Mr. Dr. P. says, anything is possible for a Possible and that includes getting in over your head. I will be there for her when she does." He realized he had stopped chopping ingredients and had his serious face on. He replaced the scowl with a grin and continued chopping. "How about you Shego? What have you been up to lately?"

"I'm not going to give away Dr. D.'s plans that easy sport," Shego said with a grin. At least it isn't anything as stupid as the army of robotic Poodles."

"I don't remember that mission," Ron said as he set a pan on the stove to simmer.

"You wouldn't, you didn't have to stop that one. Remember when Dr. D. was 'laying low' last summer?"

Ron nodded, adding some seasoning and shaking the pan.

"Well he used Commodore Puddles' personality as a baseline for the robots AI. I swear half the henchmen quit and the rest have scars on their ankles. The robots also chewed half the lair up, including several sets of doomsday plans." Shego sat back and chuckled.

"Why didn't he tell them to shut down?" Ron asked, busily cooking at the same time.

"He tried but Commodore Puddles doesn't listen to him either, how did he expect they would! He started yelling and they all bolted and hid, chewing up wiring and furniture in frustration."

"You thought he would have learned from the Bebes," Ron stated, shaking his head. "That man can not build a robot."

"Alright, now you tell one," Shego said.

"I don't know." Ron said apprehensively.

"Oh, come on. I did," Shego chided, staring at him expectantly.

"_That look on her is almost as powerful as the 'puppy dog pout."_ "Well…. There was this one time…" Ron began.

* * *

Motor Ed sat in the pickup truck griping the steering wheel tightly. A scowl lay plain on his face as he eyed the green and black motorcycle in the driveway. His knuckles were white from the force he was exerting on the wheel and the cold that was creeping into the cab. He had been sitting there for quite some time watching the shapes behind the window, guessing what was going on. He was in a quandary as to whether he should just break in the door and start tearing things up or wait until after she left. The bitch had spit on him for the last time; he was through with her. _"How could you pick that runt over me?" _he thought to himself. _"We'll see how happy you are about it when I snap him like a skinny twig. Nobody treats Motor Ed like that and gets away with it, seriously."_

_

* * *

_

The rest of the dinner went well as they reminisced and laughed about the strange predicaments they sometime found themselves in. Ron popped the cake in the oven and piled the dishes in the sink to do later. "It'll be about 45 minutes before the cake is done."

Shego sat back with a coy grin on her face, "As long as we have the time, are you going to tell me what's been eating you lately?"

Ron looked a bit puzzled. "Huh? I'm doing alright. School's going good, my training is coming along, what's not alright?"

"Well maybe the fact that you have started to glow blue?" she asked, nonchalantly.

Ron stiffened up as the, fortunately empty, mixing bowl clattered to the floor. He quickly composed himself, picking it up and depositing it into the sink before grabbing a towel to wipe up the small bit of splatter from the leftover batter. "I don't know what you mean Shego."

"Oh come on Stoppable," Shego said, rolling her eyes. "You were glowing like a light bulb when we were hit with that blast as the gravatromic ray exploded." She looked at him with a sly grin, "baby blue is a nice color on you I might add."

Ron blushed and pulled at his collar a little, he knew the jig was up with her. "I guess that could be kinda… distracting."

Shego snorted, "like I don't know it? I was younger than you are when I developed my green glow. I've just got to know, where did you get your power from? What is it?"

"I can't really say," Ron said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Can't or won't?" Shego quipped, slightly annoyed.

"Both, I made a promise not to," Ron said sadly.

"Come on sport, you tell me about yours and I will tell you about mine," Shego said slyly.

"Sorry Shego, no can do. Besides Hego already told me all about it."

"That's not really fair is it?" she said with a slight frown. "Well, what else do you want to know, there has to be something?"

Ron thought long and hard for a moment. It was almost too much to hold it back from her with her just looking at him expectantly. An idea popped into his mind and he decided to go with it. "This breaks the 'talking about your past' rule, but you asked." He paused, "you tell me why you went villain and I'll tell you all about it, everything."

Shego paused for a moment, a frown coming across her face, "No dice kiddo, I don't need to know that badly."

They sat for several moments in silence, trying not to look at each other. _"Maybe I went a bit too far, asking about her past when she asked me not to."_ Ron finally spoke up, "Is there anything you wanted to do until the cake is done? I think Agony County is coming on in a few minutes."

"You watch Agony County?" Shego asked, surprised.

"Only to stay current," Ron replied, a little embarrassed.

"Why not." Shego stated with a shrug.

Ron led her back to the living room and turned on the TV. They sat at opposite ends of the couch and watched the show together, surprising each other as they laughed and groaned at the same time during the same scenes. Ron checked on the cake and pulled it out during a commercial. He frosted it on the next on and brought her a slice and a glass of milk. Shego shivered slightly, his parents kept the house at 67 degrees and she was still a little chilled from the ride over. Without a word Ron set down the milk and cake and grabbed a small blanket out of a nearby cedar chest. He shook it out and draped it over her. She curled up in the corner of the couch and pulled the blanket around her, enjoying the warmth. The cake was delicious and she had to consciously force herself not to moan as she tasted it. She enjoyed his quiet company. She just felt as if she didn't have to worry about being judged by him, she could let go a little around him. As the show ended she glanced over at him, his eyes were drooping and it was getting late.

"Thanks for the dinner Sport, consider your debt paid," Shego stated, getting up from the couch and stretching.

"_Wow she looks good when she does that!" _Ron thought, his eyes snapping alert again. "Oh, OK. You're sure that you'll be all right driving on the motorcycle? It's a bit colder now than it was when you came over."

"I'll be fine Stoppable," she stated. She grabbed her helmet as he got her coat for her.

"Goodnight Shego."

"Yeah, goodnight Stoppable."

* * *

Motor Ed watched the motorcycle's taillights leave the driveway and speed off into the night. _"That scrawny twig stole my Valentine's Day date. He is going to pay, seriously." _He hopped out of the truck and reached into the bed of the pickup truck, grabbing out a pipe wrench. He walked down the hill through Ron's neighbor's yard up to the Stoppable residence's front door. He reared back and prepared to open the door with his size 14 skeleton key.

Shego sped through the darkened road thinking about how the night had gone. Something caught her eye as it reflected off of the road. She glanced down and saw the faint flicker of a LED flashing, tucked up underneath the instrument panel. She pulled off of the side of the road and took a closer look. _"A GPS chip? Oh, when I get a hold of Ed.." _She ripped the tracking chip free of the bike. _"Crap, he knows I was at Ron's house!"_ She whipped the motorcycle around. Motor Ed knew better than to try to square off against her in a fight, but Ron was another story.

Ron was gathering up the dishes, quite pleased with how well dinner had gone. _"It's sure going to be awkwierd fighting against her on missions now," _he thought. He pondered that for a moment before he was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of the front door crashing inward. _"What the hell?" _he thought, rushing into the living room.

Motor Ed stood angrily just inside of the entryway to the house, a pipe wrench held menacingly in his hand. "You're going down stick boy," he growled at Ron.

Ron's face hardened as he assessed the situation_. "Eh, monkey wrench.."_ He thought about running, but this was his home. No villain had ever had the audacity to attack Kim or him in their homes, with the exception of Dr. Drakken's various robots. He shifted into a defensive stance, glancing around for something he could use to defend himself from the weapon Motor Ed was wielding. He snatched up the blanket Shego had been using as Ed rushed in swinging. Ron leapt over the couch and spun around, facing Ed.

"You're going to fight me with a blanket? Seriously?" Motor Ed asked with an evil chuckle.

"I'll put it down if you put the wrench down," Ron stated, his voice devoid of any humor.

"Seriously dude, that's not going to happen. At least not until I put it through your face, seriously." He reached down and grabbed the edge of the couch and swept it aside.

Ron took his opportunity and launched a kick at his head, staggering him a little. _"Shego wasn't kidding. He can take a punch,"_ Ron thought. Motor Ed touched his hand to his face where his eye was already starting to swell. With a feral grunt he swung the wrench at Ron. Ron crouched and felt the wind of Ed's swing rustle his hair. He sprung up and blocked the back swing with his foot, knocking the wrench loose. Ed shook his sore hand out as Ron jumped and kicked him in the same spot on the side of his head. Ron's head bounced of the ceiling as his foot crashed into Motor Ed's head, nearly causing him to black out. _"Ugh, lower ceilings than a lair,"_ Ron thought as Ed crashed into the entertainment center, crushing it as Ron fell to the floor, also stunned. Ed rose just a bit faster than Ron and hit him with a jab and right hook as Ron stood, sending him careening over the couch.

"Better grab your blankie little man, it's time to go nite-nite. Seriously," Ed said as he bent down, looking for the wrench to finish the job. He picked it up as Ron stood up, holding his blanket.

Ron breathed in and drew his power to him as Ed swung the wrench down at his head. Ron's eyes glowed the faintest of blue as he pulled the blanket tightly between his two hands and caught the wrench with it. He looped the blanket around the wrench and, using the momentum of Ed's swing, twisted and threw him through the picture window into the front yard.

Ed lay on the grass, bleeding from dozens of cuts from the shattered glass, not to mention the gash Ron's kick had opened up on his forehead. His eyes grew wide as he saw Ron leap through the now empty window frame and land lightly on the front lawn. Ron's footsteps crunched as he stepped over the broken glass stopping next to Ed as he groggily rose to his hands and knees. He raised his hand to fend Ron off but Ron shoved it away and threw a hard punch to his jaw. Motor Ed dropped to the ground unconscious.

Shego stopped the bike at the top of the hill a good distance away from Ron's house and looked upon the scene below her in surprise. Ron was tying Motor Ed's hands behind his back with his belt. She saw the blue and red lights approaching the house as Ron's neighbors stood in the street, gawking at the sight in front of them. Ron stood up and brushed off his hands, looking quite the hero. His pants, devoid of belt, promptly dropped to his ankles and gave everyone a view of his fearless ferret boxer shorts. Shego grinned as he pulled them back up. She turned the bike back around and headed back to the hoverlair.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11: A sticky sitch

Author's notes: Thanks once again to Ghostwhiter for the excellent job done in beta reading. I would also like to thank those of you who left reviews. Don't forget contructive criticisim with the praise if necessary! I'm sorry I have been so long with an update. You can blame King in Yellow and Commander Argus, if it wasn't for their bon diggity stories I would have more time to type. :) 

As alway, itailicized text denotes active thought. Now on with the show!

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are property of Disney

* * *

The bruising under his eye was just about gone by Friday. _"Let it never be said that Motor Ed can't throw a punch," _Ron thought as he examined himself in the locker room mirror after cheer practice. He finished changing and went out in the hallway, leaning back against the wall to wait for Kim. Kim was a bit faster than the other girls though and was out in just a few minutes.

"Hey Ron! So did you decide where we're going to hangout at? Bueno Nacho?"

"Nuh Uh, KP. We're going to Mount Middleton. We haven't had to snowboard on a mission in a while and I want to make sure you aren't getting too rusty," Ron replied with just a hint of a smirk. She raised her eyebrows and gave him a look and he couldn't help but crack a full smile. "Though Bueno Nacho drive through would give us more time on the slopes."

Kim rolled her eyes as they headed out to her car, "Figures. Your snowboard is at my house, you need anything from home before we take off?"

"Yeah, just drop me off and I will pick you up from your house in a little while."

"Your Mom's letting you drive the station wagon?" Kim asked, a bit surprised that they wouldn't be taking her new car.

"Not anymore KP, you'll see," Ron replied with a grin.

"You didn't get a new scooter did you?" she asked with trepidation.

He looked at her with mock sadness, "no, the rents were against another scooter." He broke into a smile again, "They knew the tweebs would just put rocket boosters on it for me again."

Kim pulled up in front of Ron's house. The contractor had already installed the new window and had patched the holes in the walls from the fight with Motor Ed. It was actually beginning to look normal again. With the way he was getting better during their sparring sessions she could see him taking out Motor Ed solo. What she couldn't believe was that Ron had spent Valentine's Day with Shego of all people. _"He said they only ate, talked, and watched TV, but I still don't like it. I really should hook him up with someone. I know a few girls that think he's turning into a real hottie," _she thought.

"Earth to KP, just passed my house," Ron said lightheartedly. "Whatcha thinking about?"

Kim blushed slightly, "Sorry Ron. Just thinking about how nice it's going to be to go snowboarding without having to chase a villain or run from an avalanche or anything." She backed up looking curiously up the driveway only to find it empty, as usual. _"He must have it in the garage."_ "OK Ron, pick me up in a little while?" she asked as he grabbed his backpack and got out of the car. "I have to grab the snowboards and give Erik a quick call."

"Sure thing KP, I'll be over in a little bit."

Ron pulled into the driveway of clan Possible just as Kim was hauling out their snowboarding gear, the engine of his truck growling mightily. He turned off the engine and hopped out. "So what do you think?" he asked, sweeping his arms grandly in front of his truck.

Kim walked around the truck, looking it over. _"Ugh, neon green." _"It's great Ron, how did you get it?"

"The judge awarded it to my parents as restitution for the damages to the house. I paid for the damages out of my account and my parents gave me the truck." He grabbed the snowboards and bags and put them in the backseat. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Kim said, climbing into the cab. "Black leather seats, that'll be a bit warm in the summer," she commented."What are all the buttons for?" she asked curiously, pointing at a panel of buttons and switches. It was covered with a clear plastic box which was labeled, "Ron no touchy'.

"Red, this truck is tricked out, seriously," Ron said in his best imitation of Motor Ed's voice.

"Come on Ron, seriously, what are they for?"

"Seriously?" he asked back again.

He began laughing as she swatted at him playfully. "Now you've got me doing it," she stated, exasperated.

He backed out of the driveway and headed towards Bueno Nacho. "Wade just got the truck back to me while we were at school today. I don't know what they all do," Ron began quizzically. "He did mention the he removed the bugs and tracking chips as well as the missile launcher and self destruct mechanism. Wade said he won't unlock the buttons until I study the manual he made up for them and passed a test," he finished gloomily.

Kim popped open the glove box and pulled out the manual Wade had put there to begin reading. Noticing some of the things in the manual, Kim had to agree with Wade. "It's probably for the best, you have enough trouble driving without worrying about nitrous boosters and ejector seats. This is a bench seat too," she added a little apprehensively.

"Yeah, I guess. But it is my truck," Ron stated.

The screen in the middle of the dashboard sprung to life. "You did ask me to make sure it was safe to use," Wade said as his face appeared on the screen. "So how is it driving?"

"Great Wade. Thanks by the way," Ron said, properly admonished.

Kim grabbed the wheel and pulled them back into their lane. "Even better if you'd keep your eyes on the road Ron!" she chided.

"Sorry KP," Ron said chuckling, "you know me and TV." He swiveled the screen to face Kim so he wouldn't be tempted to look.

"No problem Ron, the parts I got from Motor Ed's more dangerous additions more than made up for the cost of removing them." Wade stated, taking another sip of his soda.

"Enough to get a new paint job?" Kim asked with a smirk.

"Sorry Kim, the paint is a special mixture that contains titanium alloys. It would be easier to replace the entire body than to try to strip it and the clear coat is super smooth, it won't hold conventional paint to well."

"These villains always go so overboard," Ron stated thoughtfully. "Can't they ever do anything simple? Hey! What's wrong with the paint job!"

Kim looked at him with raised eyebrows, "Wade?"

"Umm, Ron? You do realize it's green with a black interior. You know, like Shego's suit," Wade asked, a bit of skepticism.

"Oh, I never noticed. Motor Ed does have a bit of a thing for her," Ron replied.

They chatted the rest of the way up to the ski resort and picked up their lift tickets.

* * *

"You have reached Professor Dementor's answering machine. I will not be able to answer your call today because I will BE IN MY LAB EXPERIMENTING ALL NIGHT!!! I will return your phone call tomorrow. GOODBYE!!" The answering machine beeped as Dr. Drakken growled. Professor Dementor's habit of finishing each sentence with shouting annoyed him to no end. His fingers danced over the keyboard as he attempted to trace the call. He smiled with glee, rubbing his hands together as the trace completed.

"Oh how obvious!" He groaned. "The time share lair." He grabbed the phone off of the control console and dialed Shego's cell phone number, putting her on speakerphone so he could pace while he ranted.

The line picked up on the other end. "Ello."

"Shego, where are you? I need you here right now."

"You aren't going to try to drag me off to karaoke again are you?" she asked. "If so I'll have to decline."

"Oooo it's Friday?" he asked excited. A few of the henchmen shook their heads.

"Yeah, but you obviously had something else you wanted to talk about," she replied, trying to draw his mind to something, anything, other than singing.

"Oh. Right you are Shego. I have discovered a way to protect ourselves from the sleep ray."

"How so Dr. D.?" she asked curiously.

"A neural shield!" he exclaimed proudly.

"And you made one?" she asked surprised.

"Um, well, no. But I know who has. Professor Dementor. Remember when I tried to zap him with my truth ray at the last Villian's Convention?"

"Yeah, you asked him where he had hidden the plans for his latest doomsday device that he was bragging about." She paused for a few seconds, "Dementor told you that they were in his hotel room under his pillow."

"That's enough Shego," Dr. Drakken warned, moving to turn off the speaker a little too late.

"You snuck into the room that night and tried to get the plans from under the pillow and found out he had given you DNAmy's room number!" She finished chuckling evilly. The henchmen in the room with Drakken broke out into laughter.

"That's not funny!" Dr. Drakken yelled.

"No the funny part was when she woke up and caught you. I never saw you run out of a room so fast. And her pajamas, eww." Shego shuddered on the other end of the phone at the memory. The henchmen were laughing so hard they had tears running down their cheeks.

Dr. Drakken was fuming. "OUT! Get out all of you!" He grabbed a baton from one of the henchmen and chased them out of the room, chucking it down the hall at them. He went to the console and picked up the phone, grumbling. "Shego, how many times do I have to talk to you about undermining my authority?"

"Sorry sport, I couldn't help myself, it's your fault for putting me on speakerphone. So what did you find out about Professor Dementor?"

"He wears a neural shield at all times," Dr. Drakken said flatly, his urge to rant gone.

"You mean that stupid mask he wears?" Shego asked.

"Yes Shego. And I want you to relieve him of it tonight. He will be in the timeshare lair. Bring it to me so I can replicate it."

"Consider it done Dr. D.," she began, "oh, and don't hold up karaoke on my account." Shego flipped her cell phone closed and went to prepare for her mission.

* * *

Kim and Ron had snowboarded down a half a dozen times and were having a great time.

"We should get going KP, it's going to get dark soon," Ron said as they removed their snowboards at the bottom of the run. The sun would be setting and it would be getting hard to the dips on the slopes.

Kim used her most powerful weapon, the Puppy Dog Pout. "Just one more time Ron?" she asked playfully.

"Oh, sure thing KP." _"I could never say no to you." _

BEEP BEEP DE BEEP..

Kim struggled to get the Kimmunicator out from her jacket, answering it on the third ring. "What's the sitch Wade?" she asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. _"It isn't his fault this always happens when I'm enjoying myself." _

"I finally got a location on Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, Professor Dementor has it," Wade stated excitedly.

"Coolio Wade, who ya got for a ride?" Ron asked with a grin, peering over Kim's shoulder.

"Well, you Ron. He's using the timeshare lair in Upperton."

"Alright Wade, we're on it!" Kim said enthusiastically.

* * *

Shego landed the hover car on a rooftop a few buildings down from the timeshare lair. She scanned the location, picking out sentry points she remembered from the last time that Dr. Drakken had been in the place. _"Good, no new security features."_ She heard the rumble of a truck approaching and crouched further into the shadows. _"What the hell, Motor Ed? He sure got out of jail fast. What is he doing here?" _She was surprised when she saw Ron and Kim get out of the truck and dash into a nearby alley. They popped open a manhole cover and dropped down, pulling it over the hole behind them. _"Crap, they have to be after Dementor too. Dr. D. said that he had that Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer again. I have to act fast." _She leapt from the roof to land on an overhang and dropped lightly to the ground. She watched the security cameras, knowing that this part had to be timed perfectly. _"Just like those times I slipped out for coffee,"_ she thought with a grin. Dr. Drakken insisted that she be present whenever he was nearing a projects implementation. She thought of it as her duty as a villainess to defy his orders. She leapt into action, racing towards the lair as the security camera passed her. She stopped behind the dumpster and began her countdown, waiting for the gap in the security camera's arc before continuing. She reached zero and ran towards the compound, leaping off of a nearby light post to neatly clear the fence. She sprinted to the building, hitting the wall heavily, hoping that she had gotten the timing right. She didn't want to tip off the henchmen to her presence with Kim Possible in the area. They would all flock to her and she'd be busy fighting them off for a few minutes. It would make it impossible for her to get to Dementor before Kim carted off the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer and the diminutive man with it. She let a little bit of her plasma power flow to her fingertips and shoved them into the wall climbing hand over hand to the rooftop. _"If Princess doesn't want to sneak in through the HVAC system, I will." _Shego used her plasma to cut through a vent tube and slid into the darkness.

The storm drain ran to the parking garage of the timeshare lair. "Don't step into the puddles Ron. I don't think that's regular runoff," Kim stated as she stepped over the bright green pool.

"Ugh! Flashbacks of Camp Wannaweep!" Ron gasped quietly.

"So not the drama, beaver boy," Kim replied with a snicker. "Just be careful."

They made their way to the manhole cover in the parking garage and Ron moved it to the side. He boosted Kim up and pulled himself up afterward, setting the cover back in place as she stood watch. They crept to the doorway to the inside.

"So what's the plan KP? You want me to distract the goons while you get the PDVI?" Ron asked quietly.

Kim shook her head, "You get the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer. Dementor has never been much of a fighter. I'll be the distraction this time."

Ron was flabbergasted, but it was the easier job. He nodded his head in agreement. Kim pulled out her comb and used the fiber optic lock buster to unlock the door. They had been here several times before for the schemes of various villains, and knew about where they could expect the main laboratory to be located. They opened the door noting the layout hadn't changed since the mind-switching incident. There was a long passage lined with tall storage shelves leading up to the main lair. Kim stayed low while Ron clamored to the top of the storage shelves and tried to stay hidden. They both crept towards the open area in the back of the lair. Kim pulled out her Kissy Girl lip-gloss container and used the noxious fumes in it to incapacitate an inattentive guard. They could hear Professor Dementor ranting a little ways ahead. Glancing around to be sure no one was saw her, Kim flashed Ron a hand signal to show she was ready. He pulled out his grapple gun and gave her a nod as he slid back and disappeared into the shadows.

Kim sighed in resignation and pulled a classic Ron Stoppable maneuver as she knocked a pile of boxes over, scattering the contents all over the floor and causing quite the racket.

"Vat are you DOING! Be careful YOU IDIO… KIM POSSIBLE!! LOYAL HENCHMEN, ATTACK!!" shouted a diminutive man in a red button up uniform, sporting his trademark black mask. He pulled out a small metallic ball and pointed at Kim. The henchmen around the room all ran towards Kim as she readied herself for the fight.

Ron looked around quickly, _"the sooner I find this thing, the sooner I can help Kim and we can escape."_ He spotted the PDVI on the table by some other piece of equipment the professor was working on. He grinned as he aimed his grapple gun at a beam on the ceiling halfway to the workbench. He cringed a little as he fired, the sound of the grapple gun could give him away. Luckily something clattered to the floor at that very instant, masking the sound as he swung towards the Professor Dementor and the PDVI. He chanced a glance towards Kim to make sure she was doing OK. He grinned as he saw her use a move that Yori had taught him, and he in turn had taught her.

Seconds earlier, Shego peered down from the vent she was hiding in. She saw Princess take out one of the guards undetected. _"Where is Ron? _She saw Kimmie look up and noticed Ron on the bookshelves, his grapple gun drawn. Kim knocked over some boxes drawing the attention of the guards. Shego readied herself to strike, a frown spread across her face as Ron aimed his grapple gun. _"I didn't want to have to take out Stoppable. Maybe I can beat him to Dementor and make off with the mask before they recover." _She kicked out the vent and leapt the short distance to the ground, running full tilt for Dementor. He saw her coming, warned by the sound of the fallen vent cover, and let out a yelp of surprise before turning to run.

Ron looked back to his 'landing zone' and caught a flash of green out the corner of his eye. It was Shego, running at the little man, determination etched upon her face.

"Ut oh." Rufus squeaked, peeking out from Ron's pocket as he saw his pet human on a collision course with the two villains. He dove back in the pocket for cover, clinging tightly to his chewed up nest of biology homework.

Ron gulped as he slammed into Dementor, knocking the little man to the floor and barreling into Shego, landing in a heap. Shego and Ron both sat up, dazed, as the little metallic ball bounced to them and let out a cloud of green mist. Shego leapt to her feet, a somewhat rattled Ron beside her and they each reached out for their goals. Ron scooped up the PDVI off the table and Shego snatched the black mask off of Professor Dementor's head. They were caught quite off guard, however, when they felt a tension pulling them back and they slammed back into each other. They looked down and tried to move apart, but were unable to separate more than an inch.

"What the hell!" Shego yelled, furious.

"Aww snap…" Ron said quietly.


	12. Chapter 12: Akweird

Author's Notes: I would first like to apologize for the delay between updates. Spring is a busy time of year for me and I have been doing more reading than writing lately. I would like to thank all of you that reviewed the last chapter, it lets me know someone is actually reading this stuff. A special thanks goes out to my beta reader, Ghostwhiter, who gave me a kick in the pants to get writing again. Thanks!

* * *

Professor Dementor lunged at his mask. "Ahhh! They vill scan me!" he raved in a mad voice. Shego lit up her plasma and slashed at him, knocking him back into the corner. 

Kim had just finished with the last henchman when she heard the familiar voice of Shego yelling. Shego was standing next to Ron with her plasma lit up; Ron was leaning away from her but not running. "Ron!" Kim yelled, jumping to attack. She tackled Shego to the floor and pinned her, surprised when Ron tumbled to the ground with them.

"KP! Get off us!" Ron yelled, "get Dementor, he hit us with a bondo thingy!"

Kim scrambled to her feet as Shego glowered at her. "I owe you for that Princess."

Kim glanced up to where Dementor had just gotten to his feet, looking a little shaky. "This vill not be the last you see of me!" Dementor yelled shaking his fist at the trio. He reached out a tapped a hidden control on the wall and was whisked away through a hole that opened up in the floor.

Kim rushed to the corner and hit the area that he had touched but couldn't get the door to open. "He got away," she stated unhappily.

"Aww, man," Ron whined looking at a very upset Shego.

"You better have a way to fix this Princess," she said in a menacing voice.

"Umm, no big. Wade analyzed the last solvent for the bondo balls; he should be able to whip some up pretty quick." Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator and hit the call button.

Wade's face popped up on the screen, "Hey Kim, everything go all right?"

Kim looked back at Shego glowering at her holding Dementor's mask and Ron cringing, holding the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer. "More or less. We retrieved the PDVI," she said apprehensively. She held the Kimmunicator to the side to provide Wade with a view of Shego and Ron standing very close to each other. "But Ron and Shego got stuck together with a Bondo ball," she stated.

"Uh huh," Wade stated in surprise.

"That's all you can say is 'uh huh' Nerdlinger? You have a cure for this don't you?" Shego snapped.

"Yes, I have a few doses of the solvent stored in case this happened again," Wade snipped, obviously annoyed at Shego's remark. "I'll send some over to your house Kim."

"Please and thank you Wade," Kim stated, putting the Kimmunicator into her pocket.

"Great, I get to visit Kimmie's house again," Shego snipped.

Kim held up her hand, "So not the time for your attitude Shego, let's go."

"I don't take orders from you Princess," Shego said, crossing her arms angrily.

"Please Shego," Ron stated wearily. "Let's just go there and get unstuck and then we'll figure this out."

"Yah right, I leave with you guys and we get unstuck and you two jump me and haul me in. Ut uh, not going to happen bucko," Shego stated angrily.

Kim pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. "I'll give you the same opportunity you gave us on the hoverlair. If you leave quietly when I get you two unstuck we'll let you go."

Shego pursed her lips, mulling it over for a moment, "It's a deal Princess." She bent down to stuff the mask in the pouch on her calf, inadvertently pulling Ron off balance and sending them both to the floor on their butts.

"Sorry Shego," Ron said unhappily.

"Let's just get out of here," Shego groused as they struggled to their feet together. They awkwardly made their way to the entrance with Kim trailing. They stumbled on the way to the truck and Shego glared at Ron. "Try to stay in step with me, I can't match your longer strides."

"I'll do the best I can," Ron said apprehensively as he pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"I am not sitting next to Kimmie," Shego snarked, realizing that Ron was stuck on her left side and she would be stuck in the middle if Ron drove.

"I'll drive Ron," Kim stated, rolling her eyes as she held out her hands for the keys. Ron frowned and handed them to her as Shego and him managed to climb into the front seat together. "Just don't wreck it Kim, I just got it."

"Nice color selection Stoppable," Shego commented. She eyeballed Kim's crop top, "At least one of you has a little bit of taste."

Kim gritted her teeth and put the pedal down, throwing them both back into the seat. _"I so can't wait until I can beat her again."_

* * *

Ron and Shego sat at the table together in the Possible's kitchen. Shego looked a bit greener than normal as Ron chowed down on some of Mrs. Dr. P's leftover brain loaf. 

"Try some, it's really good," Ron stated happily as Rufus darted around his plate, grabbing stray pieces.

"Ugh, no thanks," Shego stated looking away.

Kim stood a little ways away, tapping her foot impatiently and frowning. Finally the doorbell chimed. "I got it," Kim said as she rushed to the front door. She came back in a moment later, opening a small package. Inside was Ron's repaired Kimmunicator and a small aerosol can.

The Kimmunicator can to life and Wade's face appeared on the screen. "I see the package arrived," Wade stated. "You just have to spray the area the of the bond and you should be able to separate. It might stain your clothes though."

"I can stand stained clothes if that's going to separate us," Ron said, swallowing the last of his food.

Shego and Ron stood up and Kim grabbed the can. "Here we go," Kim stated as she sprayed the bonded area. The can let forth as yellow mist as Kim sprayed for a second.

Shego and Ron tried to move apart, only succeeding in yanking each other from side to side. "It's not working," Ron stated, frowning.

"Maybe you need to shake it up," Shego said, grabbing the can and shaking it vigorously. She sprayed the area until the can ran out, but they were still stuck together. "Any other bright ideas Nerdlinger?" Shego snapped.

"Easy Shego, he's doing the best he can," Kim said angrily. "Wade?"

"Umm. It looks like Professor Dementor improved on his bonding formula," Wade said worriedly. "I'll have to analyze the used ball that you sent me and try to come up with a solvent."

"How long is that going to take?" Ron asked as Shego glowered at the screen.

"I don't know Ron," maybe a week or two?" Wade said apprehensively.

"What!" Kim and Shego yelled at the same time. Ron and Wade were too smart to try to call jinx on that one.

"I can't be stuck like this for a week or two!" Ron exclaimed. "I can't miss any more school and I wanted to go to the spirit week dance next weekend."

"It's no picnic for me either Stoppable," Shego stated unhappily.

"I'll get right to work on it guys," Wade said.

"Please and thank you Wade," Kim stated unhappily. She turned to Shego and Ron as they sat back down in the chairs unhappily, "Now what are we going to do about this until Wade comes up with a solution?"

"I'm not staying here," Shego said with a grimace.

"You're not taking Ron back to the hoverlair," Kim said flatly.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Ron asked.

"No." they both snapped at him.

"We can stay at my house," Ron said ignoring them. "My parents have both dealt with this before when Mr. Barkin and I were stuck together." He rubbed his chin, "Although my mom might freak out about a villainess sleeping with me under her roof."

Shego glared daggers at him for even mentioning sleeping with her. "We can go to one of my safe houses," she stated menacingly.

Kim glared at her, "No. We need someplace neutral."

They all sat quietly for a moment when Ron came up with an idea, "Hey, don't you have a room at the Go Tower?"

Shego grimaced, _"He's right, I do. I have some stuff stashed there too, old clothes and such. I won't be able to dodge my brothers for a whole week though." _"I guess that will work for now," she said begrudgingly.

"It's settled then, I'll call Wade for a ride," Kim said, fishing out her Kimmunicator.

Kim set up a ride and Ron packed up some of the spare clothes that he had in the guest room. _"I'm going to have to change in front of Shego," _he thought as he shoved clothes into a duffle bag. _"She's going to have to change in front of me," _he thought, fighting the urge to look over at her.

It was getting dark out when the sounds of a aircraft settling down outside broke the relative quiet of Kim's room where they had gathered to keep Shego from killing the tweebs. Shego and Ron looked out the window at their ride sitting on the street.

"Oh no. Oh no no. Nerdlinger is dead," Shego snapped as she saw the Go jet sitting outside with three of her four brothers climbing out.

"I wonder why Mego didn't come?" Ron stated.

Shego growled in response. _"Too self absorbed to worry about picking up his only sister."_

"I guess it's time to go," Ron said as he picked up his duffle bag. Kim nodded and they headed downstairs to the front door.

"Kim there's show folk at the front door again," Mr. Dr. P. stated unhappily. "You know I don't like show folk."

"They just be here a minute Daddy," Kim said, smiling sweetly at him as she walked out the front door past him.

Hego stood outside in his super hero outfit, a wide grin on his face. The Wegos were waiting by the plane. "Nice to see you again sis. Got yourself in a sticky situation did we?"

Kim and Shego rubbed their foreheads while Ron laughed, slapping Hego on the shoulder and then rubbing his now aching hand. _"The guy's built like a rock."_

"Oy, and you wonder why I turned to the dark side Princess," Shego said with a weary voice. "Come on Stoppable, let's get out of here."

"Bye Kim," Ron waved sadly.

"Bye Ron," Kim waved back. "Hego, make sure Shego doesn't hurt him please."

"Don't worry Miss Possible," Hego leaned in blocking his mouth with his overly large hand, "she's more bark than bite."

"Sha!" Kim responded with an arched eyebrow.

Hego spun around, raising his hand to point to the aircraft, "To the GO JET!" He tromped his way towards the entrance. Shego shook her head, lowering it a little bit, her shoulders slouching as she and Ron walked toward the jet dejectedly.

"_I almost feel sorry for Shego,"_ Kim thought with a grin, _"almost."_

* * *

One of the Wegos landed the jet on the roof of the Go Tower and Hego turned to Ron. "Welcome to the Go Tower," he said, sweeping his hand grandly. They exited the jet. "This tower was built to help us protect.." Hego began. 

Ron, tired and cranky from the flight held up his hand, "Dude, I've been here before."

"When?" Hego asked, bewildered.

"When Aviarius stole your powers and me and Kim helped you get them back," Ron stated.

The Wegos shook their heads in agreement. "He had the little mole rat with him," they stated together.

Rufus took this opportunity to pop out of Ron's pocket squeaking out, "Ta da!".

Hego looked at Ron and down at Rufus, "I'm drawing a blank here," he stated, rubbing his chin.

Ron huffed, exasperated, "I was the guy with the power of imagination."

Shego burst out laughing.

"Nice Shego, make fun of the guy without super powers," Ron quipped.

"Uh huh," Shego drawled out with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, I think a remember a scrawny blond kid with Kim. That was you huh?" Hego mused.

"Yea, that's me. The scrawny blond guy." Ron said with a huff.

"His name is Ron," one of the Wegos stated.

"Oh, OK Ron. Well one thing I'm sure you didn't know about the Go Tower is that Friday night is family game night!" Hego stated happily.

"Oh what fresh torment is this?" Shego asked wearily.

"We started it after you left," one Wego started.

"And have been playing on Fridays ever since," the other finished.

"Ouu, what games do you play," Ron asked happily.

Shego glared at him, "not now, not ever. I'm beat, we're going to bed."

The Wegos quickly divided into numerous multiples and all began chanting, "please, please, please, please, please," over and over again excitedly.

After a moment of plugging her ears and shaking her head Shego yelled, "ENOUGH! Fine we'll play one game," and tromped into the main hall area the Wegos and Hego following along.

One of the Wegos pulled out a game and set it on the table, while the other ran to the kitchen for snacks. Shego and Ron squeezed into her green chair. Shego set her chin on her hand, waiting for the torture to end, while Ron looked over at the game Wego was taking out.

"You know how to play Sorry right Ron?" the present Wego asked. Ron nodded his head yes.

Hego reached down to pick out the pieces and began setting up the board. "We all get our own colors. Ron, you can play Mego's purple pieces since he was too busy to come tonight," Hego stated with a frown. "I wonder where he could be? I hope he's not in any danger."

Ron picked up a purple piece from the board, noticing it was the yellow pieces, only coated in purple nail polish. "Greaaat," he said slowly as he looked the piece over.

Shego looked over, "Hey! Is that my purple nail polish?" she growled.

Hego gave a half-hearted smile, picked up the dice, and rolled them, beginning the game.

"Aren't you playing?" Ron asked the Wego that had just returned with snacks.

"Oh, no. We both share red," the first Wego began.

"We don't like to compete against each other," the other Wego finished.

A little ways into the game Hego rolled his dice and moved his piece over to one of Shego's and yelled, "BOOM! SORRY!" as he knocked her piece over taking it's place with his own.

Ron felt Shego tense and could tell Hego's antics were upsetting her. _"Time for some self preservation," _he thought. He changed his game plan to stomping on Hego and the Wego's pieces and avoiding Shego's. Shego seemed to catch on and they shutdown Hego's gloating and ended the game relatively quickly.

"We should have played Monopoly," Hego stated, upset at being ganged up on.

Shego stretched and yawned and Ron couldn't help but to glance a little. She dropped her arms clipping him along side the head. She looked at him with a grin, "Opps." She turned back to her brothers, "game's over. We're turning in now. Let's go Stoppable."

They left the table and took the elevator to a floor higher up in the Go Tower. Rufus scampered along behind, his cheeks stuffed with cheesy puffs. "So how are we going to do this Shego," Ron asked apprehensively.

Shego smiled and looked up into his eyes mischievously. "We are going to play a little game," she purred as Ron gulped.

"A A game?" Ron stammered.

Shego nodded her head up and down, "Yes a game," she continued quietly. "It's called 'Ron goes'.." and she jammed a knuckle into his ribs.

"Ouch!" Ron yelped.

Shego chuckled as she resumed her normal voice, "You know this game then don't you?"

"I know that part I guess," Ron said angrily as he rubbed the sore spot.

"The rules are simple Stoppable, and as a gentleman you should already know them. You don't look at me inappropriately, you don't touch me inappropriately, you respect my privacy the best you can in our 'condition', and you do what I tell you. Understand?" Shego asked calmly. Ron nodded his head and Shego smiled, "Good."

They walked to a room with a green door and stepped through as Shego flipped on the lights. Ron looked around at the room that resembled most any other teenaged girl's bedroom. There were posters of a boy band that died our when the 'O'boyz' hit the scene, some stuffed animals, awards, and frilly blankets and pillows on the full size bed.

"Not quite what I expected," Ron stated, a hint of surprise in his voice. The room was, well, girly.

"What do you mean by that," Shego asked defensively, a scowl playing at her face.

"Umm, nothing really. I just expected something a little different." Ron said a little warily.

"Like what? Punching bags and bullwhips?" Shego snarked.

Ron hung his head sheepishly, "No, nothing like that." _"What did I expect, grunge rock posters and holes in the walls? The room, it's just so.. normal." _he thought.

Shego pulled Ron over to a dresser and opened the top drawer as Ron looked on. She glanced up at him irritated and jabbed him in the ribs.

"Ouch," Ron yelped and blushed, realizing that he had been looking into Shego's underwear drawer.

Shego pulled out a green and black bikini set. "I hope this still fits," she mumbled as she held it up. Ron was wisely looking away when she looked over at him. "You stink and need a shower. There's no way I am letting you sleep next to me without one. Did you pack a swimsuit?" she asked.

"N No," Ron stammered.

"Then you'll have to wear your boxers while I'm soaping up," she stated. She led him into the a joining bathroom, "cover your eyes." Ron did as he was instructed and Shego began peeling out of her jumpsuit. He could hear it sliding over her skin and felt her struggling to get the swimsuit to go on right. "Alright, you can open them."

Ron opened his eyes to the site of Shego wearing a green and black bikini that was obviously too small for her. He looked away quickly. "Sorry," he gasped as he tried not to become aroused by the nearly naked beauty standing next to him.

Shego grinned, "I told you that you could look. Now strip down to your boxers." She started the shower while he nervously stripped down to his boxers and she motioned him into the shower. "I hope this stuff is still good," she said, holding up a half empty bottle of shampoo. "I haven't used this bathroom in a couple of years."

"Shego," Ron gulped. "Ah, how are we going to wash our.. you know."

"Get your hair washed first Stoppable, then we'll worry about the rest." She squirted some shampoo out for herself and then for Ron. "Didn't you get stuck together with one of your school teachers or something?"

"Yeah, Mr. Barkin," Ron said rubbing the shampoo into his hair and then rinsing it out. He made sure not to look at Shego, "That was a bit different than this. You're, well, a woman."

"Really?" Shego gasped. "I never noticed. Switch spots, I need to rinse." Shego rinsed her hair and looked Ron in the eyes. "This is where the game goes up a level. Leering at me with clothes on is a level one offense, no clothes steps it up to level two. Do you need an example of what level two 'ouch' is?"

"No!" Ron exclaimed.

"Aww, you sure?" Shego fake whined.

"Yes, I'm sure Shego," Ron said rolling his eyes

"Then keep your eyes closed when I tell you to. Now close them," she ordered.

Ron closed his eyes while Shego slide out of her bikini. _"Damn thing is a little snug, haven't worn it since high school."_ She flipped it over the shower door for easy access when she finished and began soaping up, trying to bump Ron as little as possible.

Ron trembled a little as Shego inadvertently rubbed against him. _"Come on Mad Dog, don't think about the hot body bumping into you. EEP!"_

Shego looked over when Ron trembled a little bit. A grin spread over her face as she noticed Ron's imagination was getting the better of him as the bulge in his boxers began to grow. She washed up good and rinsed off, putting her bikini back on as Ron's boxers tented and a deep red blush covered his face, complete to his ears.

"Your turn Stoppable, you can open your eyes," Shego stated with a grin.

Ron took his turn washing as Shego pretended not to watch him. He glanced over at her, "Shego, are you OK? Your lips are green… OUCH!"

"That's for checking me out when my eyes are closed," she snarked. She softened her voice, "My lips are always green, they have been since the comet struck. I usually use lipstick to cover them up. Finish up, I'm starting to get all wrinkly."

They finished the shower and managed to get changed into pajamas with a minimum of ogling. Ron amused himself by reading the titles on her bookshelf as she brushed out her hair. When she finished they crawled into bed.

Ron leaned over and clicked the light off. _"I can't believe I am going to sleep next to Kim's arch nemesis. This is way weird. Me and those damn bondo balls.." _Ron thought, feeling a bit guilty. "Shego?" Ron whispered.

"Yeah Sport?" Shego replied quietly.

Ron stared up at the darkened ceiling, "Sorry about getting us stuck together like this."

Shego sighed, "Yeah I know, me too. Don't worry about it though; stuff happens when you're fighting super villains. Goodnight Stoppable."

"Goodnight Shego." _"Oh yeah, she used to be a hero, I bet she knows all about fighting super villains."_ Ron's mind wandered a little before the fatigue from the day's events finally forced him to sleep.

Shego waited until she was sure that Ron was asleep. She grabbed her blueberry off of the nightstand and sent out her text messages.

* * *

Ron woke up as Shego stirred, trying not to move and wake her. _"Ugh. Morning came entirely too early,"_ he thought as she raised her head up from the pillow. 

"You awake Stoppable?" Shego asked with a groan.

"Yeah," Ron said quietly.

"You sleep as well as I did?" she asked sarcastically.

"I didn't sleep well, you kept trying to roll over away from me," Ron said with a yawn.

"Yeah, I never have been able to sleep well on my back, I always sleep on my side."

"Can we get up? I kinda have to go," Ron stated as he started to sit up.

Shego looked over with a grin, "You had to drink all that soda while we were playing games last night, it would serve you right if I went back to sleep."

Ron shrugged his shoulders, "It's your bed."

Shego lost her grin and sat up, the thought of Ron wetting her bed suddenly unappealing. "Alright, let's get this over with." They took turns going to the bathroom and got dressed. Ron put on his usual red jersey and carpenter jeans while Shego pulled a jumpsuit out of the closet.

"Wow, it's already nine o'clock. I'm surprised that your brothers haven't rousted us out of bed by now," Ron stated.

"They know better than to try that anymore. Besides, they're all probably on their way to temple by now." Shego stated as they left her room and headed towards the kitchen. Ron stopped suddenly, causing Shego to stumble and nearly fall. "What's the big idea Stoppable!?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"Temple? You're Jewish?" he asked.

"Yeah, though I don't observe much anymore," Shego stated with a shrug.

"Oh," Ron stated quizzically. "Why not?"

Shego gave him an annoyed look, "The same reason I became a villain. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Whatever happened must have been pretty bad to make you give up being a hero and abandon your religion," Ron said softly.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Shego yelled, stopping by the fridge to get out some ingredients for omelets.

Ron took the ingredients from her as she led him to the pots and pans. She slammed one down on the stove and started the burner. She got out a bowl and Ron helped her prepare their breakfast. They ate breakfast in silence; Ron went to make conversation but Shego just glared at him every time he tried to get one started.

"_He had to bring that up again. I don't like to remember that," _Shego thought with a frown. She thought back, remembering the twin tragedies that turned her away from Team Go and her religion. She kept looking down at her plate and moving her food around, chewing slowly as her mind dwelt on unpleasant memories.

"_Aww man. I must of have really hit a nerve. She actually looks more sad than angry."_ Ron put down his fork, "I'm sorry," he said, a look of concern on his face.

"Whatever," Shego snapped looking up at Ron. _"He actually looks worried about me," _she thought as she noticed the concern in his warm, brown eyes. Her face softened a bit, "It's OK. You just brought up a bad memory. My life hasn't been all peaches and cream you know."

"I suppose not," Ron said with his eyes on his plate. "Otherwise you wouldn't be so angry so often."

"What do you know?" Shego replied, building up steam. "What garbage has life dumped on you? You have no responsibilities, nothing more to worry about than whether or not you'll get a date to the next school dance. Don't think to judge me."

Ron looked up, a bit shocked at her outburst, "I I suppose you're right. I just thought it might help to talk about it."

She looked at him for a minute and shook her head, her voice losing its edge. "You are almost as bad as Hego. Trying to fix me so I won't be a 'bad girl' anymore. When your world comes falling down around you then you can come talk to me about problems." She pushed out her chair slowly standing as Ron did the same. "Let's get this stuff cleaned up, then you're going to pay. You got me riled up and the only cure for that is exercise. I hope you're up for a little running."

"Aww man, this tanks!" Ron stated unhappily as he started handing Shego dishes to load in the dishwasher.

Ron and Shego were sitting on the couch. Ron was watching TV and resting his legs after they washed up from their 5-mile run on the treadmills. Shego would have liked to go longer, but it was getting difficult for them to stay in step when they began to tire. So they settled for beating on the punching bags for a while. Shego's mood seemed to improve as Ron and her beat the dust off of the various pieces of equipment in the well-stocked gym below the Go Tower.

Shego was sitting with her legs crossed, reading a magazine intently. She lowered her magazine and muttered, "Great, superman is back."

Ron looked up, not seeing anyone there. "How do you know?"

"The elevator floor light just changed, he should be in here in 3, 2, 1." As Shego reached 1 the elevator dinged and the door opened. Out stepped a slightly concerned looking Hego dressed in a button up shirt and slacks.

"Hey Shego, Don, is Mego around? He didn't show up at temple today," Hego stated with concern in his voice.

Shego sat forward, dropping the magazine on the table. "And you have no idea where he might be?"

Hego scratched his chin, looking at the magazine Shego had dropped. "No, no, no, no. He has stayed out before, but he never misses temple. I already sent the twins out to look for him at his normal hangouts. I'm going to change and look for him." He turned away and then turned back, "Do you want to help me look for him?" he asked hopefully.

"Not really," Shego stated flatly, picking up her magazine. "I have a lot of important work to catch up on here."

Hego frowned and headed back to the elevator, his broad shoulders sagging a little bit.

As the door to the elevator closed Ron turned to Shego. "You don't believe him either do you?"

Shego looked up from the paper with a grin, "Not even a little bit."

A few hours later Shego was filing her nails while Ron was busy glazing his eyes over from watching too much TV. The large view screen on the wall suddenly flickered to life. Shego and Ron looked up to see Hego, bound to a chair by ropes, scowling at someone off screen. The screen picture shook a little and a clunking sound could be heard as the man propped the Team Go communication device against something to hold it steady and stepped back into view.

"Hello and good afternoon," he began.

"It's afternoon?" Shego asked, interrupting the man. "We really should get some lunch. Eh Ron?"

"I see that I don't have your attention.." the man stated with a grin. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Hego.

"Hey wait," Hego said, surprised.

The man pulled the trigger twice and two darts flew out, lodging into Hego's chest as he flexed and broke free of the ropes binding him. He staggered towards the man who in turn shot another dart into him. Hego dropped like a rock.

Shego jumped to her feet in surprise, pulling Ron up with her. "You're a dead man!" she screamed at the man, holding her nail file like a dagger. Ron just looked on in stunned silence.

"I see I have your attention now Miss Shego. My name is Ernest Vil. I was most fortunate to have your brother contact me with a little business venture. He was going to pay me a sum of one thousand dollars to pretend like I captured Team Go so his dear old sister would come rescue him. He figured if he could just get you on a mission that you would rejoin the team. A bit dense isn't he?"

"Yeah. What do you want?" Shego growled, visibly upset.

"I will get to that in a moment, allow me my time to gloat," the man said smirking. "I figured why just stop at the thousand dollars when I could have so much more. I know of a certain gentleman who would pay very well to have the complete collection of Team Go powers."

"Aviarius," Ron growled.

The man looked surprised, "Right you are. Ron was it? Since you did such a remarkable job of ruining my introduction here he is."

Aviarius, complete in his bird suit, walked into view, handing Ernest a silver briefcase. Ernest opened it and peeked inside, ensuring it was filled with the money he was offered. He then nodded and walked off of the screen as Aviarius turned towards Hego. He pulled out a crystal staff and pointed it at Hego. A beam shot out and engulfed the super hero, pulling a blue mist into the staff. Aviarius faced the camera, a look of glee on his face.

"For too long has Team Go been a thorn in my side. It ends today," Aviarius gloated. "You have one hour to surrender to me if you wish for your brothers to remain healthy."

"What do you want with Shego?" Ron snapped. "She isn't a part of Team Go anymore."

"I want her Team Go glow, silly boy. And I shall have it! Surrender quietly to me and I will allow you to leave safely. You don't really like having that green complexion anyways, do you?" Aviarius paused for a moment to take in the look of rage on Shego's face. He grinned as he continued, "You have one hour." With that he picked up Hego like a rag doll and walked off the screen.

Shego's eyes blazed with a fire that Ron had never seen before, even when she was fighting Kim. "I hope Hego's happy," she growled menacingly, staring at the blank screen.

"You think he's going to be happy about this?!" Ron exclaimed.

Shego look over to Ron. "He is getting me to go on a mission to rescue Team Go, isn't he?" she asked as she pulled him towards the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13: A Fowl Mood Develops

Authors Notes: This is a bit of a long chapter, a little over 8,000 words. Thank you to all of my reviewers, you keep me guilty enough to keep writing. As always, Disney owns any Kim Possible characters, I just own this plotline. Italicized text denotes active thought. A special thank you to my beta reader, Ghostwhiter for his help. This story is getting a little more risque and will only get worse with time. I am bumping it up to a M. rating. If it doesn't deserve it yet, it will sooner or later.

* * *

Ron and Shego gathered their mission gear from Shego's room. Ron slipped into his mission clothes quickly, not caring that Shego could see him change. Shego gathered some odds and ends that she thought would aid them in their mission.

Ron clicked the call button on his Kimmunicator and Wade answered; distracted as he clicked the mouse to kill another opponent on Everlot. "Hey Ron, what's going on?" Wade asked.

Ron scowled a little bit. "Not working too hard on the solvent, are we Wade?" Ron asked, a bit tweaked.

Wade looked up from the other screen. "I have the residue from the bondo ball in the spectral analyzer finding which components are different. It takes a while," he said with a shrug. "So how are things holding up over there?"

"Not so good Wade. Team Go has been captured by Aviarius and Shego and I are going to attempt a rescue," Ron stated.

"Do you want me to set up a ride for Kim and Erik to come and help?" Wade asked, pulling away from his game.

Shego got a frown on her face, "NO, I don't need any help from Princess."

"I'm with Shego this time," Ron started. "Aviarius said we need to be at his lair in one hour or he will start hurting her brothers and it will take two hours just to fly here from Middleton. What I need from you is a trace on the Go Com and to have all the info we have on Aviarius and a guy named Ernest Vil ready."

Wade nodded, his serious face on, "Alright Ron, but if you guys get in any trouble I'm sending Kim out right away."

"Thanks Wade."

"It's what I do," Wade said in a chipper voice as his hands flew across his keyboard. "I've got a lock on the signal from the Go Com. I'm uploading the coordinates to your Kimmunicator now." "Be careful Ron," he added in a concerned voice.

"You know me Wade," Ron said with a grin.

Shego snorted, "I think that's what he's worried about," she said with a smile.

"So what's the game plan?" Ron asked as he tucked the Kimmunicator away.

"I figure we'll take a one of the Go carts..," she blushed a bit as Ron rolled his eyes. "That's what Hego calls the cars they have for missions."

"Alrighty then, we know how we're going to get there. How are we going to storm the castle?" he asked.

"I don't know yet, you have any ideas?" Shego asked as they descended in the elevator.

Ron looked at her dumbfounded for a moment. _"Kim never asks me that,"_ he thought. "Well, we're going to be too big to fit through the HVAC system so that pretty much leaves windows and doors. Does he ever use henchmen?"

"Not usually. He relies on his robotic birds and his condor," she answered.

"Not this time. Kim sent the condor a nature preserve the last time we fought him," Ron stated as they reached the parking garage.

Shego took a set of keys out of a key box on the wall and dropped them in Ron's hand. She pointed at a blue sedan. "We'll take Hego's car, he's too big for bucket seats so I can actually sit down."

They jogged over to the sedan and got in. Ron fired it up and they sped out down a tunnel leading off the island under the lake their destination several miles away, at the outskirt of the city.

Ron parked the car a few blocks away from their destination and they continued on foot. Ron focused on the techniques Yori showed him to move stealthily through the lightly forested terrain they were in.

Shego noticed his movements, so similar to her own, with a bit of surprise. She grinned a little to herself, _"he is full of surprises, isn't he?"_ she thought. They reached the three-story hotel that Wade indicated the Go Com signal was coming from. "Whattaya think? Backdoor?" Shego whispered to Ron.

Ron shook his head a little, still a bit surprised that Shego was asking for his advice. "I was thinking skylight," he stated pointing out the glint coming off the roof. His face broke into a grin, "We'll have a bird's eye view."

Shego groaned and poked him playfully in the ribs. They made their way up to the corner of the building and began climbing. Ron was having trouble with the scant purchase and Shego helped by jabbing plasma carved handholds in the stone facade. They reached the roof and made their way quietly to the skylight. Ron pulled out his Kimmunicator and used the camera to capture a few images of the scene below. He didn't want their silhouettes to cast any shadows on the floor below and give away their position. Shego and him leaned their heads together and studied the pictures. "There's the chair Hego was tied to," Shego whispered.

"The Go Com was facing towards it when Aviarius came from the right side of the screen," Ron added quietly. He turned the volume down to whisper on the Kimmunicator and paged Wade. His face popped up on the screen. "Wade, can you get me the floor plan of this building?" Ron asked as Shego looked on.

Wade typed frantically on his keyboard, "It's a new construction Ron, the blueprints aren't even in the city management office yet. It won't be easy… Got it!" he finished as he blew the heat off his fingertips.

"You rock Wade!" Ron whispered enthusiastically as he opened the file Wade had sent him. The blueprints revealed a large room just off to the left of the entryway below them.

"Probably a conference room," Shego mused. "He could be in any room, but this is as good a bet as any."

"You ready?" they both asked, turning their heads towards each other simultaneously, their lips nearly brushing. They both blushed a little and inched away. "Sorry," they echoed again.

"Let's get this skylight open," Ron said, flustered. He moved to the skylight and made to open it.

Shego stopped him with her hand and pointed out the alarm on the window. She pulled out two thin magnets and slid them in between the alarm pickups. She eased back the window and pulled out a rope and a padded grapple. She silently slid the grappling hook into place and played out some of the line from a bag she had brought with. She took out a device and attached it to the rope and then to Ron's belt.

"What is that?" Ron whispered.

"It's a rope walker. I will lower us to the ground safely. She paused and looked up at Ron, her serious face on. "I don't want to hear about you telling anybody about this."

Ron looked puzzled as they squatted next to the opening. _"I wonder what she doesn't want me to tell? That she's saving her brothers?"_ Ron thought.

Shego thrust the rope into his hands and clamped her own over them and pushed off. They dropped a few feet and dangled in the empty space three stories above the floor. Shego spun herself so she was face to face with Ron and wrapped her non-bonded leg around his waist. She reached down to his belt and flipped the switch on the ropewalker and then wrapped her arms around him, the rope the only thing between them. Ron held onto the rope, stunned, as they began to descend. Ron began to shift uncomfortably. Shego's puzzled look turned into a frown as she felt a bulge start to form on her abdomen. She leaned forward and hissed into his ear, "Stoppable, that better be Rufus."

Rufus popped his head out of Ron's pocket, looking around as his name was mentioned. He glanced down and noticed the height he was at, "Eeek," he squeaked before dropping back down into Ron's pocket.

Ron blushed and shifted a little bit, "sorry, this rope is rubbing on me," he whispered.

"_Why that little…"_ she thought as he shifted again. His movement brought her into contact with the rope as well and she gasped in surprise, her eyes widening as they slid down. _"Ohhh…"_ She shifted to get away from the rope, the end result being her rubbing herself across Ron.

The crimson in Ron's cheeks spread across his face and up to his ears. "You're… not…. help… ing," he whispered as his involuntary reaction continued. They lowered the last few feet to the ground and Shego let go of him, sliding down him the last few inches to her feet. They looked away from each other, embarrassed, their faces flushed.

Ron fumbled with the ropewalker as Shego looked around at the sparsely furnished hotel lobby. _"It doesn't look like they have even finished moving the furniture in yet. The heat is on low too," _she thought. Ron finally got the ropewalker off his belt and handed it to her. Shego took it and put it away before they turned towards the double doors leading to the conference room they believed Aviarius was waiting for them in. The crept towards the door and were startled to hear a noise to their side.

"WHO! WHO! WHO?" a little mechanical owl bleated, it's feet anchored in the drywall.

"Ah, do come in, you were nearly late," cracked a nasally voice from inside the room. Shego and Ron looked at each other and nodded. They each reared back a foot and lashed out at the doors, sending them flying open violently. They dove into the room, rolling clumsily up to their feet in a fighting stance. A heavy oak table sat in front of them loaded with boxes marked 'state's evidence', dominating the center of the room. To their right, at the head of the table, sat Aviarius. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace behind him; framing him in flickering light in the otherwise dimly lit room. The male members of Team Go were nowhere in sight.

"Where are my brothers!" Shego growled at Aviarius.

"They are safe, for now," he answered with a grin. "Turn over your powers to me and I will let you all go."

Shego's face darkened, "Not going to happen bird boy. If you want them you're going to have to take them," she retorted.

"Have it your way then Shego," Aviarius said as he stood from his chair, a confident smile on his face.

"Give it up Aviarius, you're outnumbered. Your goose is cooked!" Ron hollered at the bird-costumed villain.

Rufus popped out and gave Ron a thumbs up, "Good one!" he squeaked as Shego rolled her eyes.

"You can't be seriously thinking of fighting me," Aviarius stated with a chuckle. He held up his staff, glowing red for a moment, and promptly divided into three. The center Aviarius held the staff while the other two reached down to the table legs and glowed blue as they ripped them off to use as clubs. The table fell to the ground with a resounding crash as boxes split and spilled onto the floor. Aviarius had the same maniacal grin on his face as he advanced towards them slowly. "You know, I think I finally figured out how to make the power switch permanent," he gloated. "You see the powers seem to be linked to all of you, and they try to return to their proper owner when the staff releases them upon its destruction." He paused as Shego fired up her plasma. "But if there is no you when I destroy the staff…" he let the sentence trail as he advanced again. The center Aviarius walked up the ramp created by the collapsed table, waiting for a good chance to use the staff.

The two copies charged, intent on getting within melee range. Shego lashed out with two plasma bolts, one at each of the copies moving up to flank them on either side. One bolt vaporized the table leg the right copy held and the other bolt missed when the left copy shrunk almost at Ron's feet. Ron grinned a little as his eyes flashed blue. He reared back his foot and punted the miniature Aviarius through the drywall and into the next room. Ron quickly turned to keep Aviarius from using the staff on Shego by blocking his line of sight. Shego struck out, hitting the right copy with blow after blow, but with Hego's super strength he was able to shrug them off. She tried to block a kick and cried out in pain as the blow slammed into her with super strength, snapping her arm and nearly knocking Ron and her both off of their feet. Ron struck out with a fury, his eyes glowing and he was satisfied to see the copy's attention shift him. Unfortunately his blows had as little effect on the super strong man as Shego's did. It lashed out at Ron with a right hook, which Ron ducked. Ron saw Shego's good arm lash out and grab onto the copy's hand as she stuck her foot into his stomach and leaned back. Ron followed her back, adding to her momentum, as she rolled onto her back and launched the second copy through the wall behind them with her legs.

Aviarius grinned as he saw his opening to strike with the staff and shot the beam out to capture Shego's power as she lay on the floor.

Ron saw Aviarius shoot the beam out of the staff at Shego and he did the only thing he could think of, he rolled on top of her to block the shot.

Aviarius frowned as it appeared that the beam would miss his target. He was stunned for a moment when, instead of disappearing like it normally did when he missed, the beam began to pull a baby blue glow out of the blond boy's back.

Shego's eyes blazed with fury as she saw Ron's power being sucked into Aviarius' staff, his eyes beginning to dim as the power left him. The other copies crashed through the wall as plasma engulfed Shego's eyes. "Raaah!" Shego growled as she lashed out with a bolt of plasma from her good arm, knocking the staff from the stunned Aviarius' hands. Ron's power snapped back into him as the staff flew through the air to land in the fireplace.

"NO!" shrieked the insane bird-man as he rushed towards the blazing fire.

One of the copies kicked Shego and Ron into the wall, where they crumpled on the floor gasping. It loomed over them as Ron's vision swam. He was barely able to see the mechanical hummingbirds; scattered on the floor when the boxes had burst open earlier. He coughed as he spoke in gasps. "Wade, I need a voice over.. Aviarius..." Ron paused, hacking for a second.

The copy stood bent down to pick up his table leg and finish the job. _"The boy must be delirious," _he thought with a grin. _"He's talking to people that aren't here."_

"Ready Ron!" Wade's voice exclaimed desperately from the Kimmunicator. The Aviarius copy looked puzzled as he stood up warily.

Ron grinned as the Kimmunicator repeated his words in Aviarius' own voice, "Fly heat seeking hummingbirds, fly!" The mechanical hummingbirds activated, making a beeline for the fireplace.

"NO!" shrieked the three Aviariuses.

Shego wrapped her arms around Ron and rolled them under the table as small explosions rocked the room. Flames licked around them, but the table blocked most of the blast. The blasts stopped and the Aviarius next to them fell to the ground. Shego's ears rang and she could barely hear what Ron was yelling, but she could read his lips, asking if she was OK. She thought about it for a moment and nodded her head, smiling weakly at the look of relief on his face. _"I have a broken arm, and probably whiplash from the kick Aviarius got me with but I'll be alright. It' a good thing I heal fast,"_ she thought to herself. She looked over to where the copy was laying on the floor as the red glow exited through it's back and flew through the wall. Wounds began to appear as it spasmed and disappeared, recombining with the original. That was the Wego's weakness. When they recombined their copies into themselves they took on the accumulated wounds and fatigue of the copies. Ron flinched under her for a moment and she panicked, believing him hurt again, before she realized that he had seen what had happened to Aviarius.

Ron coughed, the combined pressure of Shego on top of him and the smoke in the air from the blast made it difficult to breathe. They rolled out from under the table, grimacing in pain, and stood up, surveying the damage. The thick wooden table was embedded with pieces of stone shrapnel and the fireplace was only a gapping hole in the wall. Aviarius lay motionless at the foot of the now non-existent fireplace, where the explosions congregated. The staff lay nearby; bent and twisted, it's crystal shattered. Ron rushed over to Aviarius, pulling Shego along with him. Shego grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall as they passed it and put out the flames. Ron knelt down and checked for a pulse, finding a weak, but steady pulse. He let out the last of the breath he was holding and pulled out his Kimmunicator. "Wade I need an ambulance at my location for Aviarius, he's in bad shape," Ron yelled into the Kimmunicator. His ears were still ringing from the blast.

Wade's anxious voice sounded over the Kimmunicator, "……………….."

"What?" yelled Ron.

Wade turned up the volume on the Kimmunicator remotely to full blast.

"I said are you and Shego OK?" Wade asked frantically.

Ron looked over at Shego who had a dark expression on her face as she knelt over Aviarius next to Ron. "Yeah, I think so. I have to hop off and help Aviarius," he said hurriedly. He put the Kimmunicator away and began checking Aviarius over. _"What was that acronym?" _he thought hurriedly. _"Really bad boys should find better habits, RBBSFBH." _He began checking Aviarius over. "Aviarius can you hear me?" he asked, checking for Responsiveness. Aviarius was out cold, and thusly didn't answer. _"Not responsive, checking for Breathing," _Ron lowered his ear to Aviarius' mouth, listening for breathing while watching to see his chest rise and fall. _"He's breathing, now checking for Bleeding.." _There was blood all around Aviarius, he was in danger of bleeding out if something wasn't done. Ron pulled a few dressings out of his belt and began bandaging up Aviarius' wounds.

Shego looked on for minute and started helping without a word being said. _"I don't know why we're helping him, he tried to kill us and will probably do so again. He will probably even add Ron to his list of those he needs revenge against,"_ Shego thought with a frown.

After he was done bandaging up the wounds Ron skipped the next step, Shock, as Aviarius was unconscious. He checked for Fractures, he didn't see any and ran his hands up and down each limb, checking for lumps. He found a lump on his lower leg and splinted it with scraps from Aviarius' cape and some broken pieces of wood. He noticed a bulge in Aviarius's neck, indicating a possible broken neck. "Don't move him, I think he has a broken neck," Ron stated, barely hearing himself. _"OK OK, now Burns,"_ he thought. Aviarius had minor burns all over, but no major ones. Ron didn't have any more clean bandages to loosely cover them so he moved onto checking for a Head wound. He saw no fluid leaking from his ears or nose and didn't notice any lumps or depressions, but the fact that Aviarius was unconscious meant he probably had one.

"Alright Stoppable, he's stable and will probably live to try to kill us again. Let's go," Shego said tersely.

"We can't leave him Shego, he's unconscious. We have to monitor him until help arrives," Ron explained.

"We have to find my brothers, they might be hurt too," she said, gritting her teeth.

He stood up, concerned by the pain in her voice, and turned his attention to Shego. He looked her up and down, noting the few cuts and bruises. He winced noticing that her hair was singed before he noticed the odd angle her arm was at. "Your arm!" he gasped.

Shego could now hear Ron clearly, having gotten over the ringing in her ears. "It's alright Tiger," she said as they she led them out of the room.

Ron shook his head, "it's not alright; your arm's broke. Oh my gosh, she's in shock!" He whipped out the Kimmunicator again, "Wade, we need another ambulance at my location now."

"No Ron! I'm not in shock!" Shego protested. "I don't want an ambulance or police. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wanted fugitive."

"In twelve countries," Ron murmured. "But you need that arm looked at!"

"Eleven, and I need you to set my arm, then we can find my brothers and get out of here," Shego implored him.

Ron looked at her shocked for a minute while Wade questioned him. "What do you want me to do Ron?"

"Please Ron," Shego asked softly. "I heal really quickly. It's part of my comet powers. The bone is probably already healing and if we wait any longer it'll have to be rebroken to be set."

Ron looked her in the eyes, "you're sure Shego?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Alright. Wade, cancel that call and standby," Ron said and then clicked off the Kimmunicator.

Shego pulled him down a little so she could pick up a large wooden splinter and moved to the check in counter. "You have to pull it out straight, I'll help you guide it back," she said in a slightly shaky voice.

"I've watched KP do it," Ron said, his voice wavering as well.

Rufus stuck his head out of Ron's pocket. "Hnk, so sorry," he squeaked at Shego sympathetically.

She put the splinter in her mouth and nodded to him, bracing her broken arm on the counter and holding it in place with her other arm. Ron braced over her hand and told her, "on the count of three. One… Two… Three." He pulled her arm straight as she bit down on the splinter and screamed through her teeth.

She guided his hand into place and spit out the splinter as the worst of the pain subsided. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked with a grimace.

Ron looked on her in disbelief. "Yeah," he said with a false chuckle. "We need to splint that." He walked them over to the broken pile of wood from the chair that Hego was tied up in and picked up two of the legs. He patted his pocket, "Rufus, you're on." Rufus popped out of his pocket, eager to help. "I need you to chew through that rope," Ron said, pointing out the lengths he needed.

"Hnk, yep," Rufus said with a salute and got to work.

Ron took the rope and splinted Shego's arm before tying it immobile across her chest, to her protests.

"I don't need that Stoppable," she said, slightly perturbed.

"Yes you do," he insisted. "And what happened to 'Ron' or 'Tiger'?" he asked with a grin.

"You made me mad again," she said with a smile. She lost her smile and dropped into a bit of a crouch, "did you hear that?" she hissed.

"My ears are still ringing a little," Ron whispered, joining her in a crouch. "I hope it's not a giant flamingo. Please don't let it be a giant flamingo," he muttered under his breath.

A door up the hallway crashed open and Hego came out followed by Mego and the Wegos.

"I might have preferred the giant flamingo but at least we don't have to look for them," Shego whispered back at him before straightening up.

"I see that Team Go has yet again defeated Aviarius," Hego said wearily. He walked into the light from the skylight above them, illuminating his features. His face was bruised and swollen, his lip split open. He also had red lines running down his face.

"What happened to you?" Ron asked with concern.

"The fowl villain roughed me up after he took my powers," Hego stated grimly.

"He stuffed Hego in a birdcage too," Mego said wryly. "Maybe if you hadn't always talked about 'this bird being ready for his cage' every time that you captured him.." Mego trailed.

"Hey!" Hego protested. "I thought we agreed not to mention that part!"

"Come on, it's Shego," the first Wego started.

"she's part of the team," the second continued.

"We can tell her," the first Wego finished.

"She.. is.. not.. part.. of.. the.. team!" Shego said enunciating each word individually for them.

"But you did come to rescue us," Hego said, matter of factly.

"I didn't come to rescue you. Stoppable did. Right Stoppable?" Shego asked raising her eyebrows.

'Umm.. Yeah. It was my idea, she just let me use your car," Ron said.

Hego grimaced. "Oh. Where did you leave our arch foe?" he asked, addressing Ron.

"He's in the other room," Shego frowned. "It's messy though, he got in the way of his hummingbird missiles."

Ron nodded his head slowly, "he's in the other room, unconscious. Someone needs to keep an eye on him until the ambulance arrives to make sure he doesn't get any worse." Sirens began to wail from a few blocks away.

"We're going to leave this little mess for you to clean up," Shego stated, looking at her eldest brother. "We have to go."

"What am I going to tell them?" Hego asked her in surprise.

"I don't care, just leave us out of this. Team Stoppable doesn't need any media attention," Shego said with a smirk.

Ron followed her, stunned. _"Team Stoppable?"_ he thought. "Alright then, let's go sidekick," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Shego elbowed him in the ribs and he gasped. "Those are a little sore from the fight," he said with a grimace.

"Oh! Sorry Ron," Shego said worriedly, putting her good hand gently on the spot she hit.

"It's OK Shego," Ron said before turning to Hego. "A super strength kick is nothing to sneeze at," he said with a weak grin.

Hego just looked on in surprise. The twins grinned a little bit and Mego arched an eyebrow as Shego turned and began walking towards the door with Ron.

* * *

Agent Dexter wrung his hands nervously as he waited outside of Dr. Director's office. He was not comfortable around the battle-hardened woman. He was in the electronic intelligence division and didn't have to deal with her that often. However, not one, but two of her 'people of extreme interest' had been spotted on a black ops mission and she had ordered a report immediately. 

The speaker outside of the door crackled to life, "do come in Agent Dexter." The door buzzed and Agent Dexter walked in nervously. Betty Director was seated behind her desk, paper stacked neatly across the top of the desk with 'TOP SECRET' letterheads. "You have the report?" she asked over folded hands.

"Yes, Dr. Director," Agent Dexter replied nervously. "As well as the footage captured from the Go Com."

She held out her hand and he walked forward and handed it to her. "Give me a summary, but make it quick Agent Dexter, my time is valuable," Dr. Director ordered in a no nonsense tone.

"Yes Mam. At approximately 2 pm this afternoon Ron Stoppable, aka: the Fearless Ferret and Susan Go, aka: Shego, aka:"

"Enough Agent Dexter," she interrupted. "I know their aliases, get on with the report."

"Sorry Mam. The subjects broke into a vacant building in Go City to rescue Team Go from a villain known as Aviarius."

"I don't need you to read the whole report agent," she sighed. _"He is thorough, but he needs to learn how to paraphrase," _she thought. "Did they succeed in the mission?"

"Yes Dr."

"Are they OK?"

"Shego appeared to be injured, a broken arm."

"Was the villain apprehended?"

"He was, though he was seriously injured in the fight, Mam. He is in a coma at Go City's Angel of Mercy Hospital right now."

"I see," Betty mused. "That will be all Agent Dexter. This is of course classified Top Secret. Inform me of any further developments."

"Yes Dr. Director," he replied before he turned and left the room. That had gone better than he thought.

"_They put him in a coma. Interesting," _she thought. She looked at the footage and audio captured from the Go Com on her monitor. _"Amusing, though it does seem they make a good team. They did rather well considering they were joined at the hip. That is not conducive to either of their fighting styles.. This will bear looking into."_

* * *

Ron drove back to the Go Tower and they made their way up to Shego's room. 

"Shouldn't we get a cast put on that Shego," Ron asked worriedly, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them after the trip back to the tower.

"No," Shego answered. "I should be able to take the splint off tomorrow morning and it should be healed enough to go without it the next morning."

"Wow, that is fast. No wonder you bounce back from fights with Kim so fast. When we spar I'm sore for a couple of days," Ron stated with a look of surprise.

"Yeah, don't tell Princess though, I don't need her going any harder on me!" Shego retorted with a grin. She sighed, suddenly very tired, "What I really need now is a shower, some food, and sleep. It wouldn't hurt if you could change this splint to something a little less bulky too." She looked at her arm and bit her bottom lip for a second and then looked up at him. "Ron, I'm going to need your help."

He looked into her eyes noticing something he never saw there before, vulnerability. "Are you sure you don't want one of your brothers to help?" he asked gently.

She nodded, "three people in the shower just won't work," she sighed. Besides, they've seen less of me since I turned green than you have."

"You don't have to be ashamed of your skin color Shego," Ron said softly.

"Yeah, well you're not the one that had to put up with being called 'Kermie' throughout high school," she said sadly.

Ron frowned and looked into her eyes, "I'm not one of those people Shego. I'm not going to judge you because of your skin tone. In case you didn't know, I dated a Mexican girl and some of my best friends are Asian and Black."

"But that's different," she snarked, "they're not freaks."

"No it's not Shego, you have no control over it. Anyone that treats you badly because of it is just ignorant and doesn't deserve to know you anyway." Ron stated, his cheeks reddening a little.

Shego felt a little better. "Thanks Ron, you're a sweet guy," she said, her lips turning up slightly.

"I just tells it like I sees it," Ron said with a smile, happy that he was able to make her feel better.

She moved to the nightstand beside her bed and opened the drawer, pulling out a pair of scissors. "You're going to have to cut the suit off of me. It's too tight to get off with one hand and you can't slip it over my broken arm anyway," she said steadily.

They moved into the bathroom and Ron stripped down to his boxers while Shego removed the splint on her arm. He finished and turned to her and she handed him the scissors. He carefully cut the fabric off of her broken arm and started down the sides as she clutched the front of the suit to her chest and trembled a little bit. _"Me and my big talk," _she thought, remembering teasing Kim after she found Ron alive in Drakken's hoverlair. _"I can't even get naked in front of him."_

Ron finished cutting down to her ankles and removed her shoes. He straightened up, and closed his eyes. "You can drop it now Shego, I've got my eyes closed." He heard the fabric hit the ground and they clumsily climbed into the shower.

It took her a while, but Shego washed herself the best she could with one arm and grabbed her swimsuit bottoms off of the door where she had hung them to dry. She slipped them on and looked at the top. _"There is no way I'm going to be able to get that on with one arm, especially the one that is bound up next to him,"_ she thought. "Ron?" she could hear her own voice waver.

"Yeah," he replied quietly.

"I need you to wash out some cuts I have on my back that I can't reach. And I can't get my top on by myself." She paused for a moment before adding, "Please don't gawk at me."

"I won't Shego," he responded. "Hey, wait. Can't you just hold a towel over your front?"

Shego blushed, "Doy," she said normally, "Why didn't I think of that?" _"Though I will still need help getting dressed." _Shego reached up and grabbed a towel and put it over her front. "You can open your eyes now. You're going to have to hold me, be careful of my arm."

"I will," Ron stated as he opened his eyes. She handed him the soap and Ron took it, lathering up a washcloth and looking her in the face. He moved in close to her, front to front, and looked over her shoulder to wash her back. She flinched a little as he washed out the bits of stone from her cuts. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"It has to be done," she replied. "I figured you wouldn't mind after every thing I've done to Kim and you."

Ron finished up and stepped away, looking her in the eyes. "I don't want to hurt you Shego. Whenever we have fought it was to stop one of Dr. Drakken's plans to take over the world. Though I don't really like you trying to beat my best friend up all the time," he said evenly.

"Yeah," she said sheepishly. "I suppose not." _"I really don't like the line this conversation is taking, time to change the subject," _she thought."Time for you to wash up too. Do I need to help with any cuts?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Check my back though?"

Shego leaned in and looked his back over as he squatted a little bit. "A few scrapes, nothing too major," she stated.

"Thanks to you. If you hadn't have blocked that blast I would have been cut up too, and I don't heal quick," Ron stated, gratitude in his voice.

"Forget about it," Shego said with a grin.

Ron finished washing and they got dressed. Ron helped Shego change into her bra using the 'towel method' to keep Ron from seeing too much. He simply helped her slip it on with the towel over her and looked away while she positioned it. He then helped latch it. He helped her slip into a green t-shirt and raided one of Hego's model airplane kits for material to resplint her arm.

"Oy, I'm starving!" Shego whined. "Let's go down to the kitchen and get something to eat."

"Sure," Ron stated flatly, not really in the mood for celebration though he was a little hungry.

Rufus crawled up Ron's shirt and rested on his shoulder, nodding his head, "Uh huh, uh huh!"

They made their way down to the kitchen and rummaged through the freezer. "Ice cream, steaks, chicken, triple cheese pizza.." Shego muttered as she moved things around.

'Cheese!" Rufus happily exclaimed, clasping his tiny paws together.

"Oh why not," Shego said. _"Hego will be upset that we ate his last two pizzas, but Ron and I did save his butt today,"_ she thought.

Ron grabbed the pizzas out and set them on the oven, letting it preheat as he unwrapped them. He popped them in a few minutes later and they waited on the loveseat in the living room for the timer to go off.

"So Shego, why did you tell your brother it was my idea to rescue them?" Ron asked. "I mean I would have wanted to even if you didn't, but you were pretty gung ho on getting them out of that sitch."

Shego sighed. "He's been trying to get me to rejoin the team ever since I left. I really care about my brothers, even Hego, but I just can't be a part of Team Go anymore. I just can't," she replied evenly.

"Want to talk about it?" Ron asked timidly. Just then the timer for the pizza buzzed.

"No," Shego replied flatly. "Let's eat."

They retrieved the pizza and grabbed some sodas out of the fridge, returning to the loveseat to eat. Ron set the pizzas down on the coffee table, putting a couple slices on Shego's plate for her. Shego turned on the TV; Agony County was just starting. They watched as they ate. Rufus was happily stuffing himself and Ron was surprised when Shego outpaced him, though he didn't have much of an appetite. He kept thinking of Aviarius' broken body lying on the floor. Rufus and Shego burped loudly, only the crust lay on the pizza trays when they leaned back into the couch, sated.

"With a figure like yours, I didn't think you'd eat so much," Ron stated before realizing what he said. "I didn't mean it like it came out!" Ron said quickly.

Shego laughed. "What part, the figure part or the eating like a pig part?" she asked sitting forward and arching an eyebrow.

Ron stumbled on his words a little, "The eating, umm, a lot part. I wouldn't call it piggish."

Shego leaned back into the couch, comfortable. "I eat a lot when I'm healing or using my plasma. What's your excuse Stoppable? Growing boy?" she asked, feigning anger.

"Yeah that's it," he replied with a grin, realizing he wasn't in trouble, at least this time.

They sat and watched the television for a while before the combination of the events of the day and the pizza caused them both to doze off. The sound of the elevator reaching their floor didn't even disturb them.

"Aww, isn't that sweet," Wendell Go asked his brother Will. They were looking at Ron laying back into the couch with Shego curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder and a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Will nodded his head. "Mego come look at this," Will whispered, waving his older brother forward. "She actually looks happy."

Mego walked up and looked down at his sister and Ron sleeping on the couch. "Yeah, she does. It's probably just gas or something though," he whispered before heading off to his room.

The elevator dinged again as Hego arrived on the floor. With his incredible size and weight he couldn't ride the elevator comfortably with the rest of them. He had a grimace on his face and was starting to bruise where Aviarius had hit him making his expression grave indeed. He saw the Wegos standing in the living room and went to join them, trodding heavily on the floor. The noise from him walking was enough to pry Shego from her rest; she nudged Ron awake as Hego approached.

"Is it morning already?" Ron asked with a yawn.

"No," Shego answered flatly.

Hego wasted no time laying in Shego. "Do you have any idea how long they kept us there for questioning? Do you know what you have done to this team? Team Go doesn't leave bodies in it's wake. You two nearly killed Aviarius tonight," he lectured angrily.

"It's not something I'm happy about either. It was him or us," Shego retorted, rising to her feet, her good hand clenched.

Hego snorted, "Somehow I don't believe that Shego."

Shego looked stunned for a moment before she replied. "Believe what you want to Henry!" Shego yelled at him, shaking in anger. "If you hadn't pulled your stupid stunt to get me to come rescue you, none of this would have happened. We don't have to listen to this," she said, pulling Ron with her towards her room.

Hego face reddened considerably, she had blurted out his secret identity in front of a near stranger! "You will listen to me under my roof Susan! You come here and use the Team Go facilities, eat my last pizza, and act like you own the place and you still have the gall to lecture me in my own house!" he shouted.

"Your house? Your pizza? Come off it Henry, the government of Go city pays for all of this for Team Go. You only work to keep up your 'secret identity' and play at being Clark Kent. Grow up," Shego retorted, her plasma flaring slightly.

Hego's face turned from red to the slightest shade of blue as he replied in a cold, even voice, "You are right about one thing. This tower is for members of Team Go, and you aren't one of us anymore." He turned and walked to the elevator, going up to his room.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Shego yelled at his back.

"Sorry sis," Will started.

"You know how he is," Wendell continued.

"Thanks for the rescue," Will said.

"Again," stated Wendell.

Ron was stunned throughout the exchange between the siblings. "And I thought that Kim and the tweebs fought a lot. I hadn't seen anything.." he stated.

"Sorry you had to see that Ron," Shego said with a shrug, the Wegos nodded in agreement. She turned to the Wegos, "and that is why I don't like to visit," she stared with a tired look on her face.

"Give him until tomorrow, I'm sure he'll calm down," Ron said supportively.

"No, he has a lot of pride. It will take a few days and I am not going to put you through that Ron. Heck, I don't know if I could handle it without trying to knock his block off," Shego said wearily.

The Wegos nodded their heads in unison.

"Sorry to see you go so soon," Wendell said, giving her a hug.

"Wish we could have seen you more," Will said, hugging her in turn.

"Yeah, me too. Next time you two will have to come visit me. Mego could care less and I can't stomach being around Hego," she stated sadly as they pulled away.

"Come on Ron, let's go pack," Shego stated as they headed toward the elevator.

"Where are we going?" Ron asked.

"Well, Princess said neutral ground. I don't know how neutral your house is, but it's either that or a hotel. Can you get a hold of nerdlinger for a ride? I don't want to get the Wegos in trouble with Hego by asking them to take us in the Go Jet," Shego replied. _"I should just take the damn thing, but Hego would come after it and I don't want to have to deal with him with a broken arm. Not to mention Ron stuck to me. Not that that is really a bad thing, he sure saved the day against Aviarius back there."_

"Sure thing Susan," Ron said with a grin.

She went to elbow him in the ribs and pulled short when he cringed. "It's no fun playing 'Ron goes ouch' when you're already hurt," she deadpanned. "Can you not call me Susan?"

"I guess, though it is a prettier name than Shego," he said seriously.

She smiled a little. "Alright, but only when we're alone."

"OK," Ron said happily as he pulled out the Kimmunicator set up a ride with Wade. He hit the call button and Wade popped up on the screen.

"Hey Ron, everything alright?" Wade asked, taking a drink from his slurpstir.

"I think so. We need a ride to Middleton, we're going to stay at my house until this wears off," Ron answered.

"Yeah, my eldest brother is being a jerk," Shego added flatly.

"Oh," Wade said, surprised to be addressed by Shego in less than a thunderous tone. "I'll get right on it and get back to you guys."

"Thanks Wade," Ron said.

"No Big," Wade answered with a grin before he shut down the link.

"Help me pack?" Shego asked as she led him over to the closet.

"Of course," Ron stated, pulling out the suitcases she pointed to with her good hand. "It's too bad they probably won't let me in school stuck to you. It's not like you're low profile, everyone in Middleton knows who you are since you and Dr. Drakken 'work' there so often.

"Sorry sport, I can't really help it," she stated.

"It's no big. At least I'll be close enough to get my homework from Kim everyday," Ron stated. _"Did I just say that?"_ he thought to himself, a bit surprised. _"Yori's training is really rubbing off on me."_ He opened one up and she began taking clothes out of the closet and packing. Ron opened another suitcase for her to fill and was surprised to find that it already had stuff in it. "Did you want to bring this stuff too?" he asked, picking up a picture frame. In it was a picture of a younger Shego in a formal dress standing next to a handsome teenaged man.

Shego looked down and quickly snatched the picture away from him, looking at it with a sad look in her eyes. She gently replaced it in the small suitcase and closed the lid, zipping it up. "That can stay here," she said quietly.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Ron asked gently.

She nodded her head, looking away from him. "Yeah," she said, keeping a tight rein on her emotions. "Things didn't work out so well," she stated. "And no, I don't want to talk about it," she added as an afterthought.

Ron nodded in acquiescence and continued to help her pack. As the closet emptied a large box in the back became apparent. "What's in that?" Ron asked with his typical curiosity.

Shego looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Ahhh, it's one of Dr. D.'s inventions. I kinda figured it would come in handy when I got older," she stated, shifting her feet. _"You know, that could come in handy right now,"_ she thought, looking at the rejuvinator. She opened up the box and pulled out the ray gun.

"Ouuu, shiny!" Ron said, transfixed, as he reached for it.

Shego slapped his hand, "No touchie my ray gun." She thought for a minute, _"Should I? It's not like I can't reverse the process..."_ She looked at Ron and made up her mind, _"What the heck, it might even be fun. Ron will get to go to school and I'll get to mess with Princess." _"How old are you Ron," she asked innocently.

"I know, I know, I need to grow up and quit playing with gadgets,"

Ron stated dejectedly.

"You're never too old for new toys. That's not why I'm asking," she said with a smirk.

"Oh. I'm seventeen. Why?" he asked.

"You'll see," she said as she set the dial to shave five years of aging off her body. The gun hummed slightly as it powered up. She looked in Ron's eyes with a serious expression on her face. "I'm going to hand this to you. Don't touch any of the buttons or dials, just point it at me and pull the trigger once and release it," she stated before handing it to Ron.

Ron took it gingerly. "You want me to shoot you!" he exclaimed.

"It's not going to hurt me Ron. Remember 'Ray X'?" she asked.

"Ohh… Badical!" he said aiming it at her.

Ron paused for a moment, still a little uncertain, before Shego growled, "Do it Stoppable!"

Ron squeezed the trigger and a glowing beam engulfed Shego, making his own skin tingle. She grew a little slimmer and shorter and looked younger, five years younger. Seventeen years old if you want to split straws.

"Oh my gosh, are you OK Shego?" Ron asked, frantic with worry.

"Hey, whattaya know. It worked," Shego stated with a slightly higher pitched voice. She looked at her clothes, which now were hanging a little more loosely on her body. "I didn't think those were any smaller when I was seventeen though," she deadpanned, looking at her chest.

Ron fainted dead away. A guy can only take so much in one night.

* * *

Author's Footnote: So here we are at the end of another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to post. I welcome all of my reviewers to send me a "kick in the pants" PM if I slack off on updating for more than a month. I have been reading too many good Rongo stories that have been left hanging in the middle lately. Yes this story is turning out to be a Rongo fic. As always, any criticism (or pointers for that matter) that will help me grow as a writer are welcome indeed. Until next time!

Aedan


	14. Chapter 14: Oil and Water

Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter. Thanks, it lets me know people are reading this. A special thanks goes out to Ghostwhiter for betaing for me. As usual, Disney owns Kim Possible and all related characters and placenames. Also as usual, italicized text denotes active thought. Now on with the story!

* * *

Ron woke with a start, a young Shego lying next to him on the floor with an annoyed look on her face. "You done now?" she snarked. 

"Wha… Drakken made a youth ray?" Ron stammered, sitting up.

"Yep." Shego stated as Ron and her rose to her feet.

Ron looked at her in disbelief. "He's been trying to take over the world? He could own half of it if he sold youth to people!"

"Yeah, I know," Shego stated with a shrug of her shoulders. "He doesn't really care much about money unless he needs it for one of his schemes. I figured it would be destroyed when Kimmie and you would blow up one of his lairs so I rescued it."

"Rescued it?" Ron said lightly.

"Yep. Don't be surprised Stoppable. Number one, I steal things all the time and number two, he still owes me back pay," Shego stated flippantly as she put the rejuvenator back in the box and pushed it to the back of the closet.

"OK, OK, not trying to ruffle feathers here," Ron said with a smile. It's not like KP and I don't take dangerous inventions off or villains' hands occasionally; even when they honestly invent them."

"Good. Enough said about it then," Shego stated flatly.

Wade beeped back in on the Kimmunicator and Ron answered. "What's the sitch Wade," he giggled like a schoolgirl, "Man that still feels so cool saying that."

"Umm.. Yeah. Anyway, I have a ride lined up for you. There's an Air Force C130 that will be flying over Middleton. I was able to get you guys on it, but you have to be at the airbase in the next hour. I'm downloading the coordinates into your Kimmunicator."

"You rock in stereo Wade!" Ron exclaimed happily as Wade signed off. He turned to Shego, "Alright Susan, how we gonna get there?"

Shego just grinned and held out the keys to the blue sedan with her good hand.

Ron took them as she bent to pickup a duffle bag. He looked at the rest of the luggage she had packed and glanced at her broken arm. "I guess it'll be my honor to carry the rest of the bags," he moaned.

Shego was bored out of her mind. They were sitting in a pile of ropes in the cargo area of a C130 flying towards Middleton, Colorado. It always seemed this is where fate kept bringing her. Whether it be because of one of Dr. Drakken's crazy schemes or now being stuck to Ron Stoppable. _"What is with Middleton that makes the people from there so crazy?"_ she thought to herself. She looked over to Ron, who was snoring peacefully next to her, _"At least he isn't crazy. Wait, what am I saying? He's got to be the craziest of the lot! OK.." _she thought with a chuckle,_ "Maybe not as crazy as Dr. D., but he definitely ranks up there. Always chasing Princess around the globe fighting bad guys. Until recently I wondered how he managed to live as long as he did. The blue glow he has explains a lot. I wonder what it is and how he got it, and most of all, why hasn't he used it before?"_ She sighed, leaning back into the ropes. _"Meh.. I better get some sleep, I'm beat." _She closed her eyes; asleep before she had the chance to get uncomfortable from the ropes she was lying against.

Ron and Shego woke with a start when the speakers in the cargo area blared to life a couple of hours later. "Five minutes to the drop zone Mr. Stoppable," announced the pilot over the intercom.

Ron's weary eyes opened in shock, "Drop zone! I thought you were going to land this bird!" he yelled into the microphone.

"No, I assumed you knew this was a fly by operation. Mr. Load assured us it was, 'no big'," the pilot continued.

"OK, thanks," Ron said wearily as he unkeyed the mic. "Just once I'd like to be able to walk off a cargo ramp," Ron whined.

Shego stretched and looked around, spotting three chutes. Two were set up for single man jumps, the last for a cargo drop. She grabbed one and fumbled with the straps one handed. "Oh well, at least we're out of Go Tower," she stated wearily. She rumpled his already messed up bed head. "And we don't have to worry about getting our hair messed up," she said with a shrug.

Ron looked at the bonded area, "We're going to have to jump tandem," he stated.

"Doy," Shego stated, rolling her eyes. "Unpack one of those other chutes, we're going to have to strap the harnesses together."

He finished that while she unrolled a cargo net, placing the suitcases inside. She rigged the parachute to the net and attached it to the zip line one handed, while he strapped on the harness.

"One minute to drop zone," sounded the pilot over the intercom.

Shego and Ron worked quickly, fumbling with the straps to keep the harnesses together. "Is this how it always is?" Shego asked after they were strapped together.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ron replied, a little nervous. He forced a smile onto his face as he leaned over and hit the control for the ramp. It began to lower and he gulped hard.

"_He's scared,"_ Shego thought with a frown. "Don't you do this all the time Tiger?" she asked with a smile, trying to cheer him up.

"Y.. Yeah," he replied thickly.

"Thought you'd be used to it by now," she remarked lightly.

"No. Just because I do it, doesn't mean I have to like it," he replied.

The intercom sounded, "We are over the drop zone, deploy when ready."

Ron pushed the luggage out the back, the cord pulling tight and releasing the parachute as it cleared the airplane. "It's go time," he said with false bravado, leading them to the edge of the ramp. He gulped again and jumped into the yawning darkness.

They fell a couple of seconds before the chute opened and they glided slowly towards the ground. Shego expertly touched the two of them down, and they rolled as they hit the ground to absorb the shock. Shego winced as her injured arm was jostled, but shook off Ron's worried look. He stowed the chute and they looked for the cargo net in the darkness. She spotted it and they gathered up all the gear.

Ron pulled out his Kimmunicator. "Wade, we're here," he stated when Wade answered.

Wade nodded his head with a yawn, "Great Ron, your ride should be pulling in shortly."

A few minutes later a set of headlights pulled up to the field outside of Lowerton. Ron squinted, making out the outline of his truck. "KP!" he yelled excitedly.

"Great," Shego snarked, "I get to make nice with the Princess again."

The figure in the front seat stepped out of the pickup truck, and it wasn't Kim Possible.

"Mom?" Ron asked surprised. As his mother stepped down onto the running boards and then onto the ground.

"My baby!" she exclaimed with a smile, rushing over and embracing him, much to Shego's discomfort. "And who is this striking young woman you have next to you?" she asked with a smile, backing up a step. _"At least it isn't Kim Possible," _she thought. _"She's pretty, if a little pale. Ron could have been stuck to worse."_

"This is She..." Ron began, before Shego cut him off.

"Shelia, Shelia Goldstein," Shego bubbled, "it's so nice to meet you Mrs. Stoppable." Shego's smile was warm and her voice like sugar.

"Wade had told me that Ron was stuck to a woman just like he had been stuck to Mr. Barkin that time. But you don't look a day above eighteen," Mrs. Stoppable stated.

"Wade is just a ten year old boy after all," Shego stated, flipping her hair with a roll of her eyes. "I'm seventeen."

"I suppose it shouldn't have come as such a shock, he also said you were a villain," she said with a chuckle.

"Wade told you that?" Shego asked, looking shocked. "Sure, Kim and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but I didn't know he was so prone to.." she trailed.

"Drama?" Mrs. Stoppable finished with a knowing glance.

"That's it," Shego said with a frown. _"Though I would have called it tattling," _she thought.

"What's wrong with your arm dear?" Mrs. Stoppable asked in a concerned voice after noticing her arm was in a sling.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a skin condition I have," Shego said sadly. "Every once and a while it flares up and I cover it to keep from scratching."

"_That must be why she's so pale,"_ Mrs. Stoppable thought as she unconsciously stepped back.

"Oh don't worry, it's not contagious," Shego stated.

Mrs. Stoppable blushed in embarrassment. "You two look tired, let's get your bags into the truck and get you two to bed. Sleep, I mean," she said, stumbling over her words.

Ron picked up the bags while Shego grabbed her duffle bag and put them in the back of the pickup. Mrs. Stoppable helped with the parachutes and they headed home. Ron and Shego fell fast asleep on the way. Their sleep was interrupted for the third time that night when they got to the house and were shooed up to Ron's room.

"Now you behave yourself Ronald!" his Mom chided him as she sent them off to bed.

"Mom!" he groaned.

"He's been the picture of chivalry so far," Shego stated. "His mother must have taught him well," she added with a smile. _"Actually he has been really good about this, Princess must have trained him well," _Shego thought, slightly impressed.

"Yes, well, off to bed you two," Mrs. Stoppable said with a blush. _"Such a nice girl,"_ she thought as she watched them head upstairs.

As they entered Ron's room Shego dropped her duffle bag with a grimace. "Ugh, this is going to be tough. What was I thinking coming back here so you could go to school?" she asked, poking him in the side, but below his aching ribs.

"You did that for me?" Ron asked, stupefied.

"You think this a favor?" Shego asked. "Think about it, we could be lounging on a beach in the Caribbean, or at least watching TV for a week or two. I'm making you come back to boring classes and homework," she said with a grin.

"Hey! What did I ever do to you?" he asked, pouting.

Shego chuckled, "Payback for that kick in the head you gave me Tiger. Now let's get some shuteye."

They changed into their pajamas and slipped into Ron's bed. It was a tighter fit as his bed was a full size to her queen, but with how tired they were it was moments before they were both asleep.

* * *

Ron began to slowly drift back to the realm of consciousness. He was still tired but he was too hot to sleep anymore and something hard was pressing into his left shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes and as his eyes adjusted to the light he realized that something soft was draped over him as well. His eyes focused on the black mop of hair on his chest as his heart rate quickened. Shego was cuddled up to his side, her arm draped over his shoulder and her head resting on his chest. He looked down at her face, stunned. She had always been a beautiful woman, but she was even more so now. Her face was relaxed in sleep, with no trace of her trademark frown upon it, marred only by a single drop of drool that had seeped out onto Ron's pajama top. Ron didn't even mind the light green tint, she still looked like an angel. He gulped and tried to calm his breathing, sure that the pounding of his heart would wake her. He lay like that for a long while, just looking at her before she began to stir. He closed his eyes, feigning sleep, as Shego began to wake up. 

Shego stirred, and smiled a little as she began to wake up. _"I actually slept really good, and not even a little nightmare last night. I must have really been tired," _she thought. I had been a long time since she had slept a full night without nightmares. She groaned and stretched a little before she realized just how she was positioned. Her eyes snapped open, fully awake now. She slowly pulled herself off of his chest, dabbing at the drool spot to hide the evidence of her being there. _"At least I woke up first, that would have been a little embarrassing," _she thought to herself. After she pulled herself off of Ron she heard the unmistakable rumble of hunger coming from her stomach. _"Time to get something to eat, the healing is really drawing on me." _She gently nudged Ron, laying off as he began to wake.

"Ugh, morning already? Ron asked with a yawn. He stretched the arm that wasn't pinned between them over his head.

"Yep, and I smell something wonderful coming from downstairs," Shego stated happily.

"Yeah, my mom likes to cook when she's home on the weekends," Ron said as he looked over at the alarm clock it read 9:15. "She always has it ready at about 9:00 so if we don't get down there quick it'll get cold."

They shuffled out of bed and took care of morning business before heading downstairs. Ron's mother was halfway through her breakfast while his father appeared to have finished and was reading the paper.

"Good morning you two, I was wondering if you were going to sleep until noon like usual Ronald," his mother stated. "Shelia seems to be a good influence on you."

"Good morning Mom, good morning Dad," Ron replied, not bothering to respond to his mother's mild barbs.

"There are pancakes on the counter and the butter and syrup are on the table," Mrs. Stoppable stated.

"May I have a glass of orange juice?" Shego asked sweetly when Ron opened the fridge to get some milk.

"Of course you can Shelia, feel free to help yourself as if it was your own home!" Mrs. Stoppable exclaimed. She noticed Shelia wasn't wearing the splint anymore. "I see your arm must have healed."

"I'm a pretty fast healer," Shego responded as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

They sat down and ate breakfast, making small talk before heading back upstairs to brush their teeth and get dressed.

"Anything you want to do today Susan?" Ron asked when they were away from his parents.

"Call me Shelia Ron," Shego stated. I don't want Princess knowing my real name, she'll have Wade digging up everything about my past."

"OK," Ron agreed.

"I'd like to go shopping, most of my old clothes are way out of style. I also wouldn't mind going tanning if I can get Dr. D. to send over one of my lamps."

"Why do you like tanning so much?" Ron asked, suddenly curious. "When we break in on missions you are usually reading a magazine, filing your nails, or tanning."

"Magazines are enjoyable to read, my nails grow quickly, and tanning helps to lessen the pale green pigmentation of my skin and makes me look more normal," she answered. "What do you do for fun, besides kick down the doors of various villains around the world?"

"Missions are not my idea of fun," Ron stated flatly. "Sure, sometimes I enjoy them, but getting shot at by death rays, avoiding deadly traps, being beaten by henchmen three times my size, and not getting any recognition for it are not real high on my list of 'fun'."

"Then why do you go on them?" Shego asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Somebody has got to watch Kim's back. I couldn't live with myself if my best friend was hurt because she went alone," he replied with a shrug.

"_Someone broke the mold when they made you,"_ she thought to herself. "So what do you do for fun then?" she asked again.

"Oh, I like watching TV, playing video games, hanging out with my friends, and cooking," he stated.

"Well maybe we can play video games while we tan," Shego suggested.

"I don't tan," Ron said, "I burn. But I'll be happy to sit with you under the lamp and play video games while coated in sunscreen."

"Sounds like a plan," Shego stated as she pulled her Blueberry out to call Dr. Drakken.

* * *

Hego was furious. First his sister had the audacity to ream him out in his own home then she spurned his hospitality? He trembled in anger as he packed up the few belongings she didn't take with her into boxes to send out to the storage unit. He was nearly done, just the closet left to do. He pulled a few boxes out of the back and looking inside the first one curiously. His eyes burned blue in anger and disbelief as he pulled a ray gun out. He looked it over carefully, finding a plate naming the manufacturer on the bottom, one Dr. Drakken. His eyes narrowed as he crushed the ray gun in his hands. "There will be no weapons of villainy in my house!" he raged. He tore into the other boxes, destroying notes and prototypes of lasers, energy storage devices, hover crafts, and various tools and other projects that Shego had thought worthy of saving from the destruction that came along with Kim Possible. He dumped the remains in the trash and sent the boxes with her 'non-villainous' personal effects to storage. _"This will make a fine billiards room," _he thought to himself with a smug smile.

* * *

Kim and Erik walked hand in hand down the sidewalk to Ron's house, just a few blocks from her own. Kim looked over and smiled at Erik, her sweaty hand betraying just how nervous she was. After all, visiting Ron also meant visiting Shego, and that was something that she could do without. 

"Thanks for coming with me to see Ron," she said with a smile.

"It's my pleasure. I'm trying to not be jealous of the friendship you two have. I think it'll be easier if we can all be just buds," he stated.

"That's great Erik, you don't know what that means to me," Kim said happily, flashing him her dazzling smile.

They walked up the sidewalk to the Stoppable abode and knocked.

"Who dat!?" Ron's voice rang out from in the house.

"It better not be another Jehovah's witness," Shego snarked.

"It's me, Kim," Kim said, cracking the door.

"Oh hey KP! Come on in," Ron yelled happily while Shego huffed.

Kim looked at the scene before her eyes, a bit shocked. The furniture was pushed to the edges of the room and there was a giant sun lamp set up. Ron and Shego were lying on their stomachs on a blanket, basking in the light. Ron paused the video game he was playing while Shego adjusted her sunglasses and grunted. She was watching Kimmie and her little boy-toy in the reflective edges of her sunglasses.

"Close your mouth Princess, you'll catch flies," Shego snarked, "and tell your little boy-toy to quit looking at my ass." Shego looked over her shoulder at him with a frown.

Erik quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"He was not looking at your butt Shego!" Kim griped with a frown. "Were you Erik?"

"Ahh.. Of course not, I ah was looking at the swimsuit. Neon green is an unusual color choice," Erik stammered.

"Dude, you were so looking at her butt," Ron stated over his shoulder, slightly annoyed.

"He was not!" Kim protested weakly. She frowned and looked closer. Shego looked different, way different. She looked a lot younger than she should be.

Ron and Shego sat up and faced their friends/enemies. "Now looking at my chest I could stand. I have Kimmie way outclassed there, don't you think Ron?" Shego asked with a smirk on her face.

"There is no right answer to that question Shelia," Ron said flatly. "You guys want something to drink?" he asked Kim and Erik, unsuccessfully trying to change the subject.

"What happened to you?" Kim asked curiously, directing the question at Shego.

"What do you mean by that Princess?" Shego asked with a grin.

"You look… younger," Kim replied.

"Must be the sunlamp Princess," Shego stated, flipping her hair.

"Shelia.." Ron said flatly.

"Shelia?" Kim asked, confused.

"Yeah, she doesn't want people to know she's Shego," Ron stated, "We're going to go to school on Monday and Barkin wouldn't let me go if I was attached to a wanted fugitive."

"Wait, you're going to school stuck together?!" Erik exclaimed.

"Yep," Ron answered. "It's happened before. I was stuck to Barkin and Kim was stuck to Bonnie." Kim involuntarily shuddered as her fellow cheerleader's name was mentioned. "Barkin is the hardest nut to crack, and I mean nut literally, and since he was stuck to me before and still went to school he shouldn't have a problem with it."

"Just no Phy. Ed. Stoppable. I don't need you dragging me through the boys locker room," Shego snarked.

"Booyah!" Ron yelled, pumping his fist. "No P.E.!"

"Ron.." Kim said flatly. "This is no laughing matter. You're bringing a known villain into school."

"Don't worry, she's off the clock," Ron stated.

"What part of 'she's evil' don't you understand?" Kim stated flippantly.

"And that is worse than Bonnie and Amelia how?" Ron snipped.

"Oh, I don't know. Shego can fire plasma blasts out of her hands?" Kim huffed.

"She has gone through a lot of trouble to do this for me. Why can you just trust her Kim?" Ron asked his temper flaring as Shego tried to look innocent, a hard task when sporting a hint of a grin.

"How can you even think to trust her Ron!?" Kim yelled, her anger getting the better of her now. "She's tried to kill both of us so many times I can't even count them any more!"

"You know that's not true Kim!" Ron yelled. "Or we'd have never been given the chance to wake up in the basement of Bueno Nacho on Prom night!"

"I can't believe you're sticking up for her like this Ron!" Kim yelled.

"You can't? I thought you knew me better than that," Ron stated flatly.

"Let's not talk about this right now," Kim said flatly.

"Fine by me," Ron huffed. "It's lunch time anyway. You want to hit Bueno Nacho Shelia?"

"Sure," Shego said with a grin as they stood up. "Let's get changed. Don't wait up for us losers!"

Kim growled while Erik frowned.

"Sheeliaaa.." Ron said, drawling out her name. "I thought you were going to try to be nice to KP. And I really don't like the word loser."

Shego rolled her eyes, "Her boyfriend was checking me out and then she started badmouthing me. I'm only willing to bend so much Ron."

Ron grunted in agreement before turning to Kim, "Are you going to meet us there KP?" he asked apprehensively.

Kim sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Sorry Ron, Mom was already making lunch. Maybe we can do something later."

"Alrighty," Ron paused, "Hey, we're going to the mall after Bueno Nacho if you want to meet us there."

"Sure Ron, we'll see ya there," Kim answered.

"Later KP, later Erik," Ron said with a wave.

"Later Ron," Kim and Erik replied.

"Jinx, you both owe me a soda!" Ron exclaimed, happy again.

* * *

Ned's jaw dropped when Ron walked into Bueno Nacho with 'Shelia' at his side. "Hola Ron, can I take your order?" he sputtered out. 

"Hola Ned. I'll take two naco platters, grande sized. Coke for the drink," Ron said with a smile.

"And for the lovely lady?" Ned asked.

"I'll have a tacodia salad and a diet coke," Shego said.

Ron pulled out his wallet to pay for their meals but Ned held his hand up.

"It's on the house today Ron," Ned stated.

"You don't have to do that Ned," Ron said seriously. "That's not why I helped."

"I know that and I do," Ned stated. "It's because you don't expect something for it."

"Well thanks Ned," Ron said putting his wallet back away. They went to sit down at Kim and Ron's regular booth.

"What was that all about?" Shego asked.

"Helped him out with a bully," Ron stated with a shrug.

"Always got to be the hero?" Shego asked seriously.

"It's what I do," he said.

They both looked up when they saw the door open, admitting Tara and Bonnie. Bonnie looked over curiously while Tara frowned before they walked up to the counter to order. They got their orders and Bonnie bumped Tara and motioned over to Ron's table. Tara got the hint and veered over towards it.

"Hey Ron, mind if we sit here?" Tara asked sweetly.

Ron didn't want to say no to Tara, but Kim and Erik might be coming.

"Yeah, go ahead," Shego said with a fake smile. _"If I'm going to school I might as well get to know a few people before hand," she thought. _

Bonnie and Tara sat down. Bonnie looked Shego over shrewdly. _"She's pretty, nice eyes, nice body, great hair; but her skin's a little pale. Must have some skin condition. Not a real threat to my position," _she thought. "So who's your girlfriend?" Bonnie asked sweetly.

Ron blushed, "She's not my girlfriend Bonnie. But I should introduce you. Shelia, this is Tara Mathews and Bonnie Rockwaller. Bonnie and Tara this is Shelia Goldstein." Ron finished the introductions and filled his mouth with Naco, hoping to stave off the inevitable questions that would follow from the schools female elite.

"So how do you two know Ron?" Shego asked, launching a preemptive strike. _"Bonnie huh? The girl Kim thinks is evil. I have to get to know her a little,"_ Shego thought.

Bonnie answered first. "Well he's gone to school with us for years and he's a member of the cheer squad with us."

"_Ugh, cheerleaders. Great."_ Shego thought.

"Not to mention he saved us twice," Tara said, beaming at him.

"Saved you? How'd that happen?" Shego asked as Ron happily continued to stuff his face.

Tara chatted away with Shego, explaining Ron's heroics at Camp Wannaweep while Ron ate voraciously and Bonnie listened on wanting to ask questions but not wanting to interrupt. Tara had just finished with the recap of Camp Wannaweep and paused to take a drink from her water. Bonnie took the lull in conversation to butt in.

"Yeah and the second time was the same as the first except Ron used the mutating chemicals to transform himself into a mutated beaver boy and fight Gill. Long story short, he, Kim, and I took down Gill and freed the campers," Bonnie recited, bored with the topic. _"Now back to business," _she thought. "So, how did Ron and you meet?"

Ron gulped and opened his mouth to answer when Shego placed her hand on his, silencing him. "I was crossing the street when some mad scientist guy burst out of one of the buildings ahead of me and jumped into a car. Kim was chasing him and he nearly hit me. Ron pulled me out of the way as the man dropped a metal sphere out the window. We were covered in a stinky cloud and the next thing I knew I was stuck to Ron."

Bonnie and Tara looked at each other, their eyebrows raised. "Bondo ball," Bonnie stated with a shudder. "That's how I got stuck to K for a weekend."

"Yeah, I heard about that. They changed the formula though so we're stuck until we get a solvent that works," Shego said.

"So are you two going to school like that?" Tara asked.

Shego nodded, "I guess so. I have to pick up some new clothes though." She looked at what the girls were wearing, _"My old ones from high school are a bit dated."_

"You should come to the mall with us!" Tara squealed. "We can help you pick some stuff out."

Ron finished wolfing down the last of his naco platter and wiped his mouth. "Kim's meeting us there," Ron stated.

Bonnie flashed a predatory grin, "All the more reason why we should go. Kim has no fashion sense."

"That would be great Bonnie," Shego said with a smile back. _"It seems there's no love lost between the Princess and her either. I'll have to get to know her a little," _Shego thought.

"_Bonnie and Shego have hit it off,"_ Ron thought as Bonnie regaled 'Shelia' with the story of Kim's disastrous Cheer Squad Weekly interview as they walked into the mall. Tara looked bored while Ron seemed apprehensive.

"And then she told the interviewer that she collected cuddle buddies and picked her nose as hobbies!" Bonnie told Shelia with a wicked laugh.

"Oy, that's priceless. Tell me that you have that on tape!" Shego snickered.

Bonnie nodded her head, "Yep. Give me your email and I'll send it to you."

"So what happened then?" Shego asked.

Kim and Erik, unseen by the two women, stepped out of a store in front of them and waved to Ron.

"The woman chose me to take Kim's place on the cover!" Bonnie stated triumphantly.

"Nothing like riding my coattails Bonnie? Wouldn't you agree Shelia?" Kim snipped, her voice dripping with malice.

"Hiya Kim, Erik," Ron said uncomfortably.

Erik nodded to Ron, a frown on his face. Kim looked at him, her hardened face softening somewhat. "Hey Ron, I see you have already met up with some friends." _"It looks like my two least favorite people have decided to start a Kim haters club,"_ she thought.

Bonnie and Shelia stared Kim down, but Bonnie spoke first. "Zero your ego Kim. Riding your coattails would imply that you're something special, but you're not."

Shego smiled and nodded to the toy store they just walked out of, "Picking up more cuddle buddies Pr.. Kimmie?"

Kim ignored Bonnie, concentrating on Shego, "As if. Are you here shopping for makeup? The Kissy Girl store is over there. I'm sure they make a nice base that will stop your pale skin from blinding people in the sun."

Shego bristled, clenching her fists and stepping forward, pulling Ron with her. Ron pulled her back. "Girls, girls, girls. Why all the hating going on around here? Can't we all just get along?"

"No!" the three of them shouted simultaneously.

"Jinx, you all owe me….." Ron began, before trailing off as three sets of female eyes bored holes into him. "Eep."

"Dude you are a braver man then I am," Erik said, shaking his head as the girls began glaring at each other again.

"This isn't going to work out Ron. I'll have to catch up with you later," Kim said disgustedly.

"OK KP," Ron said sadly. "I'll call you."

Kim nodded and walked away, dragging Erik with her.

"That wasn't very nice you two," Tara said crossly, folding her arms across her chest.

"I know Tara," Bonnie said apologetically.

Shego shrugged her shoulders. "So are we going shopping or what?"

Tara nodded and headed further into the mall, leading the way to Club Banana.

* * *

Ron just shook his head as Bonnie and Shelia shrugged their shoulders simultaneously before they settled down and began shopping in earnest. 

Ron sighed, his eyes covered while Shego tried on an outfit. It was the second hour of his shopping trip with Shego, Bonnie, and Tara. He didn't spend this much time shopping for his own clothes all year, much less in one day.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now Ron," Shego stated as she smoothed the wrinkles out of the button up shirt she was trying on. The shirt was mint green and she completed the outfit with a black skirt and black shoes. "So what do you think?"

"Wow, I mean, wow," Ron said looking her over a blush creeping over his face. It had been his standard response for outfits that looked good on her so she knew he thought it was a keeper. Otherwise he would have stammered on by how nice it looked on her, but that it just wasn't her.

"Glad you like it, I like this one myself. Let's see what the girls think," Shego stated as they stepped out of the dressing room.

The other girls were just finishing changing as well. Bonnie was the next one out in a read halter-top and hip hugging blue jeans. She turned to Shego and looked her up and down with a critical eye. "Looks good, but those shoe are wrong." She leaned over to pick up a box next to the piles of clothes the girls had accumulated, providing Ron and Shego with an eyeful of her ample cleavage. "Try these," she said looking up while Ron's face flushed even redder. "What do you guys think?" Bonnie said slyly, straightening up to show off the outfit. _"He's so fun to tease.."_ she thought.

"They're.. it's very nice Bonnie," Ron stammered as she grinned.

Shego frowned. _"How blatant can you be you hussy?"_ she thought. "It's a little tight around the middle," she snarked.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed dangerously. _"You little.." _she thought, her monologue cut short by Tara coming out of the dressing room.

Tara came out in a knee length white sundress with sunflowers decorating the lower edge. "Do you like it Ron?" she asked, flashing a dazzling smile as she twirled to show the dress off. His blushed deepened even further as the skirt rose when she spun, showing off her well-toned thighs. Ron simply nodded, speechless, as Tara giggled.

Shego stiffened at the platinum blonde's antics. _"Are they both in heat or what?" _she thought testily. "Looks great Tara, if you're looking for something to wear to Sunday school," Shego commented haughtily.

"Thanks. I think it will work for church too," Tara stated happily, oblivious to the slight barb thrown her way. "That blouse looks amazing on you Shelia."

"Thanks Tara," Shego said, knocked a little off guard by the bubbily girl's indifference to her insults. "I think we'll have to cut this shopping trip short though," she stated as she faked a yawn. "Our plane got in pretty late last night."

"Oh, well you two should get some rest then," Tara said with concern.

"I think we've pretty much seen everything worth looking at here anyway," Bonnie said in agreement as they gathered up their purchases and headed to the checkout.

Ron helped the girls with their packages as they left the store._ "I have got to get invited shopping more often.." _

* * *

Author's Footnote: While reader response has been excellent for this story; my one shot, Uncle Justin, has less than 75 hits and 0 reviews. To anyone who read it, did I stink up the place with that one?


	15. Chapter 15: Another day in Paradise

Author's Notes: As usual, italicized text denotes active thought. A big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It was my most reviewed chapter yet. I would also like to send a thank you out to Ghostwhiter for beta reading for me.

* * *

Shego had been lounging on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean enjoying the sunshine and tropical setting with a handsome young man. She had asked him for a drink and he had gone to the cabana set just behind them. Just as he pushed the button for the blender she was jerked from her fantasy by the alarm clock's harsh buzzing. Ron and Shego woke with a shared yell as the alarm clock blared to life on Monday morning. Shego's gut reaction was to destroy what had interrupted her from a rather nice dream.

"No!" Ron yelled as Shego's plasma engulfed hand slapped the offending device off of the nightstand and sent it flying into the wall. All before the sleep had even left her eyes. "Now I have to buy a new one," he whined.

"Ugh, sorry Sport," Shego grumbled as she yawned and stretched. "But it wasn't me who kept you up late talking to Princess for half the night trying to patch things up."

"You and Bonnie were the reason she was so riled up," Ron stated a bit angrily with a yawn of his own; they are contagious after all.

Shego just shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like she should expect me to make nice with her after all we've been through. And she wasn't a saint in the matter either," Shego stated as they crawled out of bed.

"I suppose," Ron agreed, properly chastised, "The makeup comment was a low blow."

"Doy," Shego growled in agreement. They got ready for their first day of school and headed downstairs where Ron and Rufus once again proved their indomitable appetites. Shego had finished healing and wasn't as hungry as Ron, though she did pack down quite a bit of food herself with her plasma powers constant need for fuel.

"So what are your plans for the day Ronald?" Mrs. Stoppable asked as she put on her coat. It was nearly time for her to head out to work herself. Mr. Stoppable sat in his usual morning spot at the head of the table, his nose buried in the business section of the newspaper.

"The usual Mom," Ron stated after swallowing the last of his milk. "School, cheer practice, Bueno Nacho, and homework."

"Well remember your father and I will be working late again," she stated.

"I know Mom," Ron said with a sigh. _"It would be easier to tell me when you're going to be home,"_ he thought. He scooped up their plates and deposited them in the sink for cleaning when he got home.

"Well you two have a good day at school," Mrs. Stoppable started, "and Shelia, don't let Ron get you in any trouble. The boy can't seem to stay out of detention lately."

"Really?" Shego stated a bit surprised. _"Ron Stoppable, miscreant and trouble maker? I have to find out what this is about."_ she thought.

Mrs. Stoppable nodded her head slowly. "Isn't that right Ronald?" she asked.

"Yes mother," Ron said dramatically.

Mrs. Stoppable nodded her head and headed out the door into the garage. Ron and Shego went upstairs and brushed their teeth. Ron grabbed his book bag filled with homework he had neglected to do due to the circumstances of the weekend and they headed out the door. They took the truck to school. Kim was picking up Erik and Ron didn't think it would be a great idea for him to ride with her considering the way Kim and Shego were getting along. Or, more appropriately, not getting along.

Ron pulled into the parking lot at Middleton High School and they got out and headed towards the building. "Time to face the Barkinator," Ron said, his game face on.

"Who?" Shego asked curiously.

"Oh. Mr. Barkin. He's our vice-principal, but our principal has been on vacation for a while so he's filling in until she's back. We'll have to tell him we're stuck together or he'll have me in detention for the rest of the year for breaking the PDA policy."

"Is that why you're getting so much detention lately," she asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm, no," said quickly. "Here's his office," Ron stated as they entered the school's office.

The school secretary looked up from the reports she was filling out. "Mr. Stoppable, this is a new record for you. Being sent to the office before the school day even starts."

"I didn't get sent here Mr. Schultz, I need to talk to Mr. Barkin," Ron stated.

"He's right behind you," Mrs. Schultz stated, pointing her pencil over his shoulder.

Ron gulped as he and Shego turned around, "Mr. Barkin."

Mr. Barkin looked down at Ron standing hip to hip with a female student, a definite violation of the school's PDA policy. "Explanation, now Stoppable!" he said gruffly.

* * *

"This tanks!," Ron said dramatically. The meeting with Mr. Barkin had been very short. Ron had said they were stuck together with a Bondo ball and 'Shelia' had to fill out a few forms and they were on their way. But not before Mr. Barkin said he looked forward to seeing them in his fifth period gym class. "I can't believe he's making us take P.E. like this, even if it is a coed class." 

"He seems to be a bit of a hard ass," Shego said in agreement.

"He actually seemed nervous today though. I guess he's having a hard time with the girl/boy bonding thing," Ron stated.

Shego nodded her head before speaking, "At least he said we could use the coach's locker room so we'll have some privacy."

They were getting odd looks as they walked down the hall and people were whispering about 'Ron's new girlfriend'. Ron could tell that it was beginning to annoy Shego. _"She's probably embarrassed that she's stuck to the school's black sheep," _he thought. "It's OK Shelia, don't let them get to you. I'll ask Monique to make sure the gossip circles know that you aren't my girlfriend, just another unfortunate victim of my carelessness."

Shego was visibly upset now as people began to stare openly. "Take a picture meathead," she quipped at a jock that was staring at her with his mouth half open. People along each side of the hall averted their stares and the whispering quieted as Shego glared daggers at them. She turned back to Ron with a frown, "It's not that Ron, I just don't like people gawking at me," she stated unhappily. _"It's like my high school when I first turned green all over again,"_ she thought.

"Try to ignore them, that's what I do when they're being mean," Ron said with a shrug.

"Easier said than done," she mumbled as she crossed her arms.

"Hey KP!" Ron yelled to his best friend as he spotted her at Erik's locker.

Shego sighed as Ron pulled her over to Kim. She blew a stray hair out of her face and looked up towards the ceiling, ignoring Kim's presence.

"Hey Ron, did everything go OK with Mr. Barkin," Kim asked.

"You know it Kimilla," Ron said, trying to sound cool. "Mr. B. isn't going to pass up a chance to torture me with school work."

"You got her there Ron," Erik said with a grin as he shut his locker.

Ron grinned as Kim cleared her throat. "Something wrong KP?" he asked.

"No, I'm just going to walk Erik to class. I'll catch up with you in History," Kim stated sheepishly.

"Oh. OK KP, I'll catch you later then," Ron said, trying not to sound hurt. "We'd better get going, I'd don't need to be late again and get another detention."

"Alright, see you later Ron!" Kim said.

"Later Ron!" Erik echoed.

Shego looked over to Ron as he walked to class dejectedly. _"He looks like a puppy that just got kicked,"_ she thought. "You alright Sport?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he answered unconvincingly.

"You want to talk about it?" she pressed.

"I'm fine," he stated again.

"Maybe later?" she asked.

"Maybe," he answered.

"_Oh yes, we will be talking about it later,"_ she thought as they entered the classroom. They walked up to the teacher's desk and handed her the note that Mr. Barkin had given them explaining the situation.

Mrs. Farthing took a moment to read the paper before handing it back to them. "Welcome to Middleton High Miss Goldstein," she stated, looking at Shego over the top of her horn-rimmed glasses. "I hope you find your time here to be educational and enjoyable." She turned her attention to Ron. "You can sit in the back at the small table since it isn't feasible for you two to sit at a desk. This will not be an excuse for you to pay anything less than the utmost attention in my class Mr. Stoppable." She pushed her glasses further up her nose and continued reading the lesson plan in front of her.

Ron and Shego shuffled off to the back of the class while everyone else was beginning to take their seats. The Bondo ball situation wasn't new to most of the students as they had to deal with Ron and Mr. Barkin as well as Kim and Bonnie being stuck together the year before. The real item of interest was the pale young woman that Ron was stuck to.

Kim entered the class just before the bell rang and gave Ron a weak wave before she took her usual seat, Ron's empty beside her. She took out her books as Mrs. Farthing started the class.

"Please pass your assignments up to the front of the class," Mrs. Farthing began.

Ron groaned. _"I knew that I forgot something,"_ he thought.

"Mr. Stoppable, do you have your homework?" Mrs. Farthing asked, as he was the only one not passing up his assignment.

"Ahh. No Mrs. Farthing," Ron stated sheepishly.

"That's kinda my fault ma'am," Shego stated. "Ron had all his homework in his carry on luggage during the trip from Go City, but he had to check it so I could keep my purse and my bag with my medications as carry ons. Then the luggage didn't get put on the plane. I even had to buy all new clothes for school."

Mrs. Farthing looked skeptical. Ron Stoppable was the master of poor excuses after all. If it wasn't a giant poodle eating it, it was a group of monkeys tearing it apart, or he put it in his parachute instead of his backpack and it all blew away in the wind. Giant poodles indeed.

Bonnie spoke up, "Yeah, we went shopping with her." Tara shook her head in agreement, cinching it for the teacher. There had to be some truth to the story if Tara was vouching for it, she didn't have it in her to lie.

"I suppose you can have a two day extension. Hopefully your luggage will have made it back by then," Mrs. Farthing said curtly.

"_Whoa, dodged that bullet,"_ Ron thought. _"More like was pushed out of the way." _"Thanks, I owe you one Shelia," Ron whispered as Mrs. Farthing headed back up to the front of the class."

"I know," Shego whispered back with a smirk. _"And I like it when you owe me,"_ she thought, her mind drifting to the wonderful meal he had cooked her for Valentine's Day.

* * *

The other classes went much the same way until lunchtime rolled around. 

"The Ron man has worked up a fierce appetite!" Ron said excitedly as they entered the cafeteria.

"Hnk! Yeah!" Rufus exclaimed in agreement, stretching from his late morning nap.

Shego couldn't really tell what they were so excited about. Even if the food was twice as good as it was in her high school it wasn't anything to write home about. "Yeah, whoopee. Now lets get some food," she said flatly.

Ron and Shego got their food from the lunch lady. Shego got a salad and Ron had a plate of goop, with noodles. They found a table and sat down.

Ron grimaced when he took a bite of his food. "Ugh, that's definitely not Bueno Nacho," he stated.

"Why didn't you just get a salad like I did?" Shego asked as she grimaced just from watching him. "I think a chunk of your meat just wiggled," she joked, pointing a fork at his plate.

Ron moved his food around, checking it. "Salads are the only thing worse on the menu than the mystery meat," he said, making a 'yuck' face. "Hey, I wonder where KP is at?"

Shego just rolled her eyes, "Who cares? There's Bonnie and Tara," Shego said. She waved at them and they stopped and spoke to each other for a moment before heading over and sitting across from them.

"Hi Shelia, hi Ron!" Tara bubbled.

Ron closed his mouth, regaining his composure after the surprise of Bonnie and Tara joining them. They all exchanged pleasantries while the people sitting at what was normally considered 'the head table' looked on with surprise. After a moment a few of them went over and sat at the table by Bonnie. Then more followed until the table was full.

One of the linebackers, Mark Stanson, headed over looking for a spot. He frowned when he saw Ron and walked over behind him and leaned against the table. "Hey loser, you're in my spot," he growled.

"Get lost meathead," Shego spouted as Ron swallowed his food.

"Oh, you're the chick stuck to the dork huh? You're pretty hot, too bad you're stuck to him instead of a real man," Mark said, leering at her.

Shego pointed the carrot stick she was eating at him. "A real man? Because you have muscles? Are you sure you aren't just overcompensating?" She held up the carrot and loosened her fingers, gathering a laugh around the table as it rotated forward and pointed downward.

"Bitch. You need to learn the pecking order here," he snarled. He went to knock over Ron's drink only to have Ron block his hand and shove him back away from the table.

"She told you to get lost, meathead," Ron said as Shego stood up with him.

Mark's face turned beet red in anger and his mouth twisted into scowl. He went to move forward when a hand descended on his shoulder. "Is there a problem here Stanson?" Mr. Barkin asked fiercely.

"No coach, we were just joking around," Mark stammered.

"Since you have so much energy we should do some extra laps during practice after school," Mr. Barkin said. He looked at Ron and Shelia, standing there with scowls on their faces before he steered Mark to another table. _"You don't know how much pain and humiliation I just saved you from kid," _he thought as he continued his 'rounds' of the lunchroom.

Everyone at the table looked away as Ron sat down, quietly eating their food. "That was really brave Ron! Wasn't it Bonnie?" Tara said, beaming at him. All heads swiveled towards Bonnie, drones waiting for the Queen B's judgment.

Bonnie chewed slowly and swallowed her bite of food before nodding her agreement. "Yeah, it was brave. Mark was being a jerk," she said lightly rolling her eyes.

The rest of the table started talking again, a few complimenting Ron for standing up to Mark. Shelia smiled at Ron as the students at the table returned to their own conversations.

"So Shelia, did Ron tell you about the Spirit Week Dance we're having Friday?" Tara asked cheerfully.

"No, he forgot to mention it," Shelia stated apprehensively.

Ron coughed, choking on his soda a little bit. "Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I should have told you about that. I promised KP a couple of weeks ago I would help her decorate the gym Friday afternoon," he said sheepishly.

"So did you ask anyone to the dance yet Ron?" Bonnie asked innocently.

"Umm, no not yet," Ron stammered.

"Time to break out 'the list' Mad Dog?" asked Jason Morgan with a friendly grin, razzing him a little.

"List? What list?" Shego asked, a little puzzled.

"Ron always asks the same girls out for each dance in the same order," Jason said. "And then he usually ends up going stag with Kim."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at Jason. "I don't think he'll have a problem getting a date," she stated. Tara nodded her head in agreement._ "In__ fact I can guarantee it,"_ Bonnie thought to herself.

"Yeah, I guess," Ron gulped. _"Well, no use prolonging my agony," _he thought. "Umm, Shelia will you go to the Spirit Week Dance with me? I mean, unless you have to go back home before then," Ron asked sheepishly.

Bonnie was a bit stunned and looked on as Shelia flushed and a smile crept onto her face. _"He always asks the prettiest girl first.."_ Bonnie thought with a frown. _"He always asks me first."_

"Sure Ron, if you really want me too," Shego said.

"Booyah!" Ron said thrusting his free hand in the air as Jason laughed and high fived it. The bell rang and people began leaving the table to return to class. Ron led them from the cafeteria to the gym for P.E..

Shego stopped him as they headed towards the gym. "You didn't have to ask me to the dance just because we're stuck together."

"I didn't," he responded. "I stuck to the list."

"I'm on the list?" she scoffed.

"Since you're going to Middleton High right now and might be around, then yeah." He paused for a moment, "I always ask the prettiest girls first."

Shego blushed as they began walking again. "Thanks Ron," she said as she grinned. _"He thinks I'm the prettiest girl in the school? Take that Possible!" _she thought as her grin widened into a genuine smile.

Mr. Barkin had arrived just before them and ushered them into the coaches' changing room. "I had one of your uniforms brought from your locker Stoppable. Miss Goldstein, there is a new set in there for you as well," he stated in his usual gruff tone.

They changed into their shorts and t-shirts and headed out into the gym a little late, ignoring the whispered gossip from the students already in the gym. Ron and Shego took a place in the back row. Mr. Barkin led the class through stretches, jumping jacks, pushups, and various other exercises, taking time out to bellow at a student that was slacking. People got their exercise in Mr. Barkin's gym class.

"Alright people," Mr. Barkin barked. "Today we start track. First thing we will start with is the two-mile run. Let's get to it people!"

Ron and Shelia lined up on the indoor track with the rest of the students. Mr. Barkin blew his whistle starting them out on their run. Shego and he were both breathing heavily as they ate up the laps, concentrating to stay in step with each other. "Booyah," Ron panted on the 15th lap. "One more to go!"

Shego smiled, breathing heavily. She was enjoying this little run. _"Two miles is a little short, but at least Ron was keeping a decent pace," _she thought. A smile crept to her face as they neared the finish line. She caught Mr. Barkin's eye and held up one finger. Ron started slowing up as they reached the finish line.

"You've got one more lap Stoppable!" Mr. Barkin yelled.

"But Mr. Barkin," Ron began.

"Do you want to make it two?" Mr. Barkin interrupted.

Ron gritted his teeth and leaned forward a little picking up the pace. Shego wanted to smile, but she was breathing too hard with the quickened pace. _"This is more like it,"_ she thought to herself as her lungs burned. They sped around the track and collapsed on the sideline, gasping for breath, after they passed the finish line. Most of the other students were still running, even though Ron and Shego had run an extra lap.

"Get up, walk it off," Mr. Barkin yelled with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Ron rolled his eyes, gasping for breath like a fish out of water, but Shego nodded in agreement. "We.. have.. to.." she gasped, "Otherwise.. we'll.. cramp up..". They stood up and walked slowly around the outside of the track, catching their breath. The other students finished and Mr. Barkin called them all over to the center of the gym.

"Alright, good run people. Now ring the bell and then hit the showers," Mr. Barkin stated as he lowered the ropes. The students lined up behind the ropes and began to struggle up to the top.

Josh Mankey made it about half way up and began sliding back down. He struggled to keep going up, but couldn't make it. He held the rope and stood there, his face red from embarrassment. "Mr. Barkin.." he started.

"Two laps Mankey," Mr. Barkin said coldly. "If you can't climb you're sure going to be able to run." _"I thought he'd do better, Mankey being just one vowel from monkey," _he thought.

Ron shuffled his feet. "Umm, Mr. B. Should we just start running now?" he asked.

"You're going to at least try Stoppable, you and Goldstein both," Mr. Barkin said flatly. "Now get over here." Mr. Barkin held out the rope. "You first Stoppable." Ron grabbed the rope as Shego faced him, putting her arms around his neck. Ron's face turned red at the snickers of the student in line.

"Fifty says he won't make it halfway," Mark Stanson whispered to one of his friends, a little too loudly.

"I'll take that bet," Mr. Barkin bellowed. "You owe me fifty pushups if he makes it halfway." Mark closed his mouth as his face reddened. "Now up the rope Stoppable, and don't let me down," Mr. Barkin said flatly.

Ron grunted, pulling them off of the ground and a few feet into the air. His arms shook as he pulled them further up the rope and he stopped about a third of the way up and they slid back a little before he locked the rope with his feet.

"Come on Stoppable, you can do it," Shego said, trying to motivate him. "Pretend there's a nacho up there!"

"It's called a naco Shelia," Ron hissed through gritted teeth. He grunted pulling them up another foot or two. His face twisted into a frown as they slipped a little more.

"Quit feeling sorry for yourself and just do it!" Mr. Barkin bellowed.

Ron's face hardened in anger, not at Mr. Barkin, but himself for starting to give up. He gritted his teeth in determination and pulled them up hand over hand until he broke the halfway mark. The students below began cheering him on as he struggled up the rope. He tuned them out and concentrated on the rope. His arms were burning with the effort and he slowed down and stopped again. Shego saw his face falter a little and she hissed into his ear. "Pretend you're on a mission. I'm Princess and I'm hurt. You have to get me up this rope to get me some help. NOW!"

Ron let out a bellow and pulled fiercely at the rope gaining an inch and then more as he dragged them upward. His breathing was ragged and his whole body was shaking as he reached his arm up and slapped at the bell, ringing it loudly. Shego smiled at him as he lowered them down, letting his feet slide as they went hand over hand down. His arms finally had enough as he was halfway down and they slid down the rest of the way, landing on the mat a little roughly. "Alright Ron!" Shego said excitedly. She gave him a quick hug before realizing Mr. Barkin was there. They broke apart sheepishly.

Mr. Barkin smiled. "Good job Stoppable," he said loudly. "You owe me fifty pushups Stanson!" he yelled over his shoulder before turning back to face Ron and Shego. "You're up Goldstein," he stated. _"I'll even let the hug go,"_ he thought as Ron's jaw dropped.

* * *

Footnotes: I thought I would recommend some of the stories I have been following lately (and they update more often than I do). Bubbahotek's "Ronnie Diamond: The Case of the Monkey's Uncle", his sequel to "Ronnie Diamond Private Eye" is hilarious. I highly recommend both stories if you want a fun read. King in Yellow has yet another great story going now in "Double Minded". Quis Custodiet has hit us with an unexpected RonBon in "Cupid has Crappy Aim". Check them out and happy reading!


	16. Chapter 16: School Daze

Author's Notes: Characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. As usual italics signify a character's active thoughts. I big thank you to Ghostwhiter for beta reading for me as well as to all my reviewers. I don't reply to many reviews unless they are thought provoking, I have limited time to write as it is. I sure do like reading them though. Now on with the show!

* * *

Shego's face contorted into a grimace as she flexed her arms to pull them up the rope. She lifted her body off the ground but as Ron's weight started pulling at her shoulders she slipped off. She stood up and let go of the rope. "He's just too heavy," she said to Mr. Barkin before looking over at Ron, "Maybe if you'd lay off the Bueno Nacho," she said with a grin poking him in the belly. 

"Alright. Two laps Goldstein, and make them snappy!" Mr. Barkin said gruffly, though he still had a smirk on his face.

* * *

"I can't believe you made me run around the track twice!" Ron exclaimed, a little exasperated. They had finished their shower and were finishing dressing. 

"What?" Shego asked sarcastically as she slipped her shoes on. "Did you expect me to pull you up the rope without breaking a sweat and tell everyone that I eat my vitamins and drink my milk like my Mommy told me too? I'm trying to act like a regular girl here, and plasma blasts and enhanced strength aren't going to help that image any." _"It's bad enough my skin is the way it is,"_ she thought.

"I suppose so," Ron said glumly before brightening, "But it would have been sooo cool to see the surprise on Mr. Barkin's face when you raced up and back down. I've seen you haul Drakken up harder climbs than that."

Shego shrugged her shoulders. "After a while the coolness factor of being a pack mule wears off," she stated flatly.

"Then why do you put up with that?" Ron asked.

"This really isn't the time Ron," Shego said as the two-minute bell rang. "We have to hurry or we'll be late for class."

They left the locker room and headed to their next class. "We'll have to take the short cut through D Hall," Ron said quickly.

"If it's the short way why wouldn't we?" Shego asked as they wound through the other students.

"Oh yeah. Force of habit," Ron said hurriedly as they turned to the hallway. They ran into Mitch and Travis, who seemed to be shaking Kim's cousin Larry down. Shego noticed Ron's face lose emotion as he obviously faked a stumble, running into Travis and knocking his books to the floor.

Travis whirled around quickly. "Watch where you're going you idiot," he growled as Ron picked up his books. As Ron looked up the snarl dropped from Travis's face and Mitch took a step back.

"Sorry about that Travis, I was in a hurry. Class is about to start. Let's go Larry or we're going to be late." Ron shoved the books into Travis's hands and stepped away, grabbing Larry's arm and pulling him along down the hallway. He turned to Shego, "There are a lot of bullies in D Hall."

Larry scurried along beside them, "Thanks Ron."

Ron continued on at a quick pace. "You know better than to try to cut through D Hall Larry," Ron stated.

"I know Ron," Larry whined. "But I was tutoring in the Band Room and we didn't hear the first bell. I didn't want to be tardy for my first time."

"It's not all that bad Larry, being tardy," Ron said with a grin as they stopped in front of Larry's classroom.

"You would know Ron, you've been the king of tardy these past few weeks from what I've heard," Larry said, pushing his glasses up with a friendly smile.

"Speaking of tardy, I better get going, see you around Larry," Ron said.

"Later Ron!" Larry said in his nasally voice before entering his own class.

The tardy bell rang just before Ron and Shego entered his next class. "Late again Stoppable?" the teacher asked. "This means detention. Again."

Ron sighed as Shego dragged him up to the teacher's desk and handed her a note. "There were extenuating circumstances," Shego stated. _"At least I know why he's been getting detention so much. Always has to be a hero," _she thought. The teacher scanned the note and handed it back to Shego.

"You're off the hook this time, but don't make a habit of it," the teacher said.

Ron and Shego found a table to sit through the lecture.

* * *

Tara walked into the library for study hall. She grabbed a table and pulled out her homework, less than enthusiastically. A shadow fell across the book as she was jotting into her notebook. Tara moved the book over a few inches to get into the light. The shadow followed. She looked up to see Kim Possible standing over her with her hands on her hips. 

"Hey Tara," Kim said with a friendly smile.

"Hey Kim," Tara said back, her face brightening at the welcome interruption. "What's up?"

"Well..." Kim began, "I was wondering if I could talk to you in private." Kim motioned her head towards the bathroom.

"Umm, sure Kim," Tara replied a bit apprehensively as she closed her books.

They got up and went to the restroom. As they entered the bathroom, Kim checked under the stalls to make sure they were alone. "So what's this about Kim?" Tara asked.

Kim leaned against the counter and bit her lip. "Well... I noticed you're crushing on someone..." Kim trailed off, trying to lead the conversation.

Tara gulped, suddenly a little afraid, "You're not going to hurt me are you?" She stammered. "I mean you're going out with Erik now so it's OK?"

"Oh of course it is!" Kim gushed. _"Anything is better than Bonnie or,"_ she shuddered, _"Shego,"_ Kim thought. "I actually want to help, I think you two would be perfect together."

"Really?" Tara asked, clasping her hands excitedly. "How are we going to do it?" she asked.

"Well, here's my plan..." Kim began as she explained her plan to Tara.

* * *

"Alright Mad Dogs, let's go through the routine one more time! Look sharp Tara!" Kim exclaimed as the girls lined up for the routine. Ron and Shego stood behind the line where the girls would form the pyramid to spot. It was the fourth time through the routine and Tara had fallen twice into Ron's arms. She seemed to be enjoying it a little too much for Kim's taste. It was innocent enough, though Kim didn't like her practice being interrupted because the flighty blond wanted to be held by Ron. _"I said get him to go out with you, not throw yourself at him, literally. Though after the way things have been going between Ron and Shego it's going to be welcome._ _What is up with Shego anyway? I don't know what that witch is trying to do. First a Valentines Day date and now she's going with him to a school dance? This is sooo not right," _she thought. Kim grimaced as she thought about it. Tara wasn't a bad match for Ron, better than Bonnie no matter how much she had warmed up to him. But God forbid that he hook up with Shego. Kim shuddered a little at the thought. _"If Shego thinks that she's going to break up the team she's got another thing coming. I'll have to talk to him after they're not stuck together and set things straight with Ron." _The music started and the squad began the routine, working through the cheering part and setting up the pyramid. _"Perfect," _Kim thought as she flipped to the top of the pyramid throwing her arms out. 

The squad all yelled, "Go Mad Dogs!" together out to the imaginary crowd. They flipped down and formed a line like they would when the performance was over. Kim broke ranks and began congratulating them.

"You were a little off on the beginning Tara, but you pulled through in the last two sets. Great improvement." Kim stated before stepping back to address the entire squad. "Crystal, Hope, Marcella, great job anchoring, it was perfect. Nice job spotting Ron. That'll be all for today, but we'll be working on this all week for the pep rally on Friday." The girls began to walk toward the locker room with the exception of Kim and Bonnie.

"Hey Shelia," Bonnie called out, walking toward Ron and her. "You want to go shopping with Tara and me tomorrow for new an outfit for the dance?"

"Sure Bonnie, but I'll have to bring Ron again," she said with a grin.

Bonnie rolled her eyes sarcastically, "Fine. If you must. Right after cheer practice tomorrow." Bonnie walked to the locker room, clearly ignoring Kim, as Kim walked over to talk to Ron.

"Hi Ron," Kim said lightly. "Hello Shelia," she said, trying not to spit out the name as if it were something distasteful.

"A whittle snarky there Pumpkin," Shego said sweetly in baby talk, "someting wong?"

Kim shot her a glare before turning to Ron as he spoke to her. "Hey KP, I missed you at lunch. What's up?" he asked.

Kim bit her lip, looking a little guilty. "Yeah, Erik and I ate outside. I just wanted to see how you're doing Ron," Kim said looking him over. "She hasn't been hurting you or anything has she?"

Shego rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. "I'm right here you know," she stated.

"No KP, not at all. It actually hasn't been bad at all. Not counting the beating from Aviarius, this has been much better than being stuck to Barkin," Ron stated. _"The rugby, the swimming, Mr. Fuzzy, ugh," _Ron thought.

"OK Ron, but if she tries anything. Tries to get you to do something you don't want to do, you tell me. OK?" Kim said, looking directly into his eyes.

"Sure thing Kimilla," Ron said nervously. _"That's going to hit a nerve,"_ he thought.

"Like what Princess?" Shego said, the smirk gone, anger plain upon her face. "You think I'm going to try to weasel information out of him, or maybe you think I'm going to jump his bones the first chance I get? Maybe turn him evil?"

"It's what villains do," Kim replied staring down Shego.

"Girls, this is going a little far," Ron said warily, trying to maneuver himself between the two women.

"Not now Ron!" both of them said fiercely.

"I'd never make him do something he didn't want to do Princess," Shego spat.

"But you're going to make sure he wants to do what you want him to, aren't you?" Kim snarled back.

"What is this really about Kim?" Shego asked, regaining a little of her composure. "Are you more pissed because he's finally stepping out of your shadow or because he asked me to go to the dance with him?"

Ron's face turned red as Kim sputtered before regaining her tongue. "You actually asked her out Ron?"

Shego nodded, "Yep, he finally showed he has a bit of taste after all." She looked up at Ron and winked.

"Pity," Kim said flatly as she regained her composure.

"What?" Shego said, a bit confused at the odd remark.

"Ron has a big heart. He's stuck with you, literally," Kim said as she crossed her arms. "He pities you."

"No, KP. That's not it, I really do want to go with Shelia," Ron said as Shego stood there stunned.

"Ron. There are other girls out there for you. Better girls. Tara still likes you and she isn't dating anyone right now. She was literally throwing herself at you in practice just now," Kim pleaded with Ron.

"Bitch," Shego snarked at Kim. She tried to leave, their bond tugging on Ron. "I'd like to storm off now Ron," she growled.

"I'll talk to you later KP," Ron said sadly as they turned to leave. Kim stood there watching him go, not noticing Bonnie standing at the locker room door watching the whole scene.

"Nice job Possible, crush a poor girls spirit," Bonnie snarked at her.

"So not in the mood Bonnie," Kim said nastily.

"Too bad K, because I'm going to keep talking," Bonnie said sharply. "She's right. Ron is stepping out of your shadow and it pisses you off. It looks like you can't have your beefcake and sidekick too." Kim pushed past Bonnie into the locker room. "Don't worry though, someone will take care of Ronnie for you," Bonnie purred with a smile as Kim fumed.

* * *

Ron was pulled along by one pissed off Susan Go. They left the school parking lot and she told him to turn right at the park instead of going left towards his house. 

"Susan," Ron stated. "We should go left to go to my house."

"We aren't going to your house," she said shortly.

"Where are we going then?" Ron asked evenly as he turned right around the corner.

"You said you wanted to go to Bueno Nacho this morning when we were talking to your mother," she stated.

"If you don't want to we don't have to," Ron said softly.

"I would hate for it to be said that I manipulated you from having your daily dose of Tex-mex," Shego snarked at Ron.

"Come on Susan," Ron said with a bit of a whine. "You and Kim just have too much history between you two to trust each other. If you aren't throwing fists you're throwing barbs at each other. Don't worry about what she said."

"Easier said than done Stoppable," Shego said as they drove through the intersection to Bueno Nacho. He parked the truck and they entered the restaurant. It was already pretty full from all of the students that had gotten out of school earlier than them. They got in line behind a few other people waiting to order.

"What got you so upset?" Ron asked. _"The manipulating part, or the pity part?" _he asked himself.

"I'm not going to talk about it with a bunch of goons watching us," Shego stated. "Eyes up front," she snipped at one of the guys in front of them that was eying her up.

"Let's get this to go then," Ron said. They ordered, Rufus popping out just in time to get Ron to 'Grande Size' his nacho combo platter. Ron pulled out his wallet to pay, only to have Shego stop him as she pulled out some money from her purse, only to have Ned stop her.

"It's on the house for the guy that helped save the entire Bueno Nacho Corporation," Ned stated dramatically. _"Not to mention the common man's hero of Middleton High,"_ he added to himself. The two workers in the back clapped quietly as Ned swiped his assistant manager's card to override the transaction.

"Ahh, no big Ned," Ron said sheepishly. "But I'm going to take you up on the free food buddy."

Ned grinned as he slid over the cups for their drinks, "Your food will be ready in just a minute_." "Oh, and there's my old buddy, capt'n swirly. I've got something special for his naco,"_ Ned thought wickedly as the jock that was going to give him a swirly walked in the door. "Your order's up Ron," Ned stated, passing over the bag of food before taking the jock's order.

Ron drove back to his house, parking in the driveway behind his Dad's car. _"Figures,"_ he thought as they exited the truck. _"The one day that he's home early." _He looked up to the tree house perched precariously over the sidewalk. "Let's eat in there," he said, pointing to it.

"Whatever," Shego said with a shrug; she had seen stranger lairs. They climbed up the boards and squeezed through the trap door. Shego took a look around as Ron guided them over to the couch. She took in the surroundings, from the raccoon skin hat, to the 'no girls allowed' sign painted in red letters. "Nice little place you have here Stoppable. You take all your lady friends here?" she asked sarcastically.

"No, Monique hasn't been up here yet," Ron said seriously as he set out Rufus's food. The little mole rat was on it like lightning.

"What's with the 'no girls allowed' sign?" Shego asked. "I thought you and Kim have been tight since pre-K. I can hardly think the sign is that old, especially with the can of paint stuck beside the couch here."

"Ahh, yeah." Ron stammered. "I guess I was a little tweaked at Kim for constantly ditching me for Erik."

"Is that why you look like a kicked puppy every time you talk to her?" Shego asked.

"I do not look like a kicked puppy," Ron stated indignantly. "I just always thought that we'd be best friends forever," he added unhappily.

"Isn't working out the way you planned, huh?" Shego asked.

"I guess not," Ron stated with a huff. "She gets around Erik and she's all googly eyed and doesn't have time for the loser, Ron Stoppable."

"You're not a loser Stoppable," Shego snarled at him. She softened her voice a little, "Sorry, but you aren't a loser so don't talk about yourself like that. Kim is romantically involved with this Erik, and hormones trump friendships every day, even friendships lasting since pre-K."

"Yeah," Ron replied quietly. They dug into their food, eating quietly for a minute before Ron looked over to her again. "So what did Kim say that got you so flustered?" he asked. "I've never seen you at a loss for words before."

"I had plenty to say to the...Princess," Shego spat. "But I would have rather talked with my fists. So I thought it was best that we left, for your sake."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Thanks. I'm sorry for what she said; it isn't true. I didn't ask you out because I'm stuck to you."

"So you did it because you pity me?" she asked apprehensively.

"No, that's not why," he said quietly.

"Good," Shego started before the full breath of what he said hit her. "What? So you do pity me? I don't need your pity, or anyone else's!" she growled, turning away from him.

"It's not that I really pity you," Ron stated. Shego gritted her teeth and spun to look into his eyes. "I'm just sorry that you can't see yourself like I see you. You're smart, strong, determined, not to mention hot as hell, but you don't like yourself," he said softly. "You care too much about what people think."

Shego blushed a little as he listed her good qualities. "I don't care what people think," she groused.

"Then why do you get so mad when people say the wrong thing or look at you the wrong way?" Ron asked.

"I have a low tolerance for stupidity," she stated smartly.

"But you hang around with Dr. Drakken," Ron replied.

"I work for him. And besides, we play Drakken goes ouch a lot," she stated, poking Ron in the ribs, a little too hard to be considered playful.

"Look Susan, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel I've gotten to know you a little better over the past few days and I think that you're a great person," he said seriously. "I just wish that you could see what I see when I look at you," he said quietly. Shego looked away from him, seeing a partial reflection of them in the window glass. "I didn't ask you to the dance because I pity you," Ron continued. "I asked you out because I have seen that there is more to you than you usually show and I want to get know you better." He lightened his voice and grinned a little, "You know, when you're not trying to kick the crap out of me and Kim."

Shego looked at the reflection in the window for a moment and turned to Ron, looking at his face for moment for a sign of deception. She found none. "You talk too much Tiger," she stated. "Especially for a man that has as much homework to do as you do," she said as she grinned a little bit again.

Ron finished the last of his homework just in time to meditate, take a shower and go to bed. He didn't even get to do his regular drills and exercises that Yori had assigned him. The meditation didn't go as well as planned either. Shego kept interrupting him by muttering, "Boring, boring," in time to his breathing. They hit the sack before having to head into yet another 'boring' day of school.

* * *

Shego sighed as they finished up classes on Tuesday. She didn't remember school being quite this boring. It would be bearable if she didn't have to keep a constant lid on her temper. Not to mention that the teachers would frown upon her bringing a magazine or nail file to class. Hell, she' probably get expelled for bringing a weapon to school. _"You can do as much damage with a pencil as you can with a nail file," _she thought, rolling her eyes. _"Schools these days are getting a little ridiculous. Let bullies and liberal teachers thrive and instead focus on aspirins and pocketknives." _Shego could hear Bonnie's voice and tittering laughter coming from the gym ahead. Ron and she were early, not having to change into uniforms. 

"Then why are you going with him to the dance Tara?" Bonnie asked raising an eyebrow.

Tara laughed a little, "Jason's a sweet guy, he's just different. Besides, I don't have to worry about him trying to take things too far with me," she said as Ron and Shego walked up behind her. Tara sighed, looking at Bonnie, "Besides, the guy I want to go with is…"

"Ron, Shelia... Hi!" Bonnie exclaimed as she noticed them walking up behind Tara.

"Huh?" Tara said confused before she turned around and let out a little 'yipe'. "Hi guys," she said cheerily as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Hiya Tara, hiya Bonnie," Ron said happily. "Everyone else still changing?" he asked.

"Yep," Bonnie answered. "We have eighth hour gym so we are always first out here." She grinned wickedly, "You'd know that if you weren't always the last one here, slacker," she said playfully.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Shego asked, looking right at Tara.

Tara blushed even more, "Na…nothing," she almost whispered.

"Just a little girl talk," Bonnie said flatly, clearly indicating that they weren't going to talk about it.

"Oh, come on, you can tell us," Shego started, drawing an apprehensive look from Tara as Bonnie just narrowed her eyes. _"Like I already don't know,"_ Shego thought, leaning in on Ron a little.

"So," Ron interrupted, swinging his free arm nervously. "Where are you girls dragging me along to after cheer practice?"

Shego and Tara looked to Bonnie, "I figured we'd hit the clothing stores in the mall. After that, if you guys are up for it, I figured we'd get something to eat," Bonnie stated.

"Sounds good to me," Shego said. "As long as it isn't Bueno Nacho."

Ron got a laugh out of all of them when the smile on his face turned glum as he muttered, "this tanks!" after Shego's statement.

Kim and the rest of the cheerleaders began to trickle into the gym. Bonnie and Tara went to join them.

"Try to stretch out better this time Tara, maybe you'll be a little less clumsy on the pyramid," Shego said with false pep.

"Yeah," Tara said sheepishly, blushing as she bounded over to her teammates. They started their stretching and warm-ups before they began practicing the routine.

"That wasn't very nice Shelia," Ron stated.

"I never said I was a nice person," she said, looking slightly up at him. He frowned a little bit and she rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to encourage her," she stated. _"Encourage her to quit flirting with you,"_ Shego thought.

The practice went well, Tara didn't even fall into Ron's arms once. Ron and Shego went ahead to the mall. Tara and Bonnie would catch up with them when they got there, they had to shower and change first.

"Do you mind if we stop at the arcade?" Ron asked Shego.

"Sure," Shego said with a shrug of her shoulders. "You're going to be in the store with us three for a couple of hours, the least I can do is sit through a video game or two while we wait for Bonnie and Tara."

"Thanks Shelia," Ron said with a genuine smile. He led them towards through the bustling mall towards the beeping sounds and flashing lights that heralded the video arcade.

"I didn't think these would be around anymore with all the home game systems out there now," Shego stated.

"We're lucky to have one in Middleton. If the town was much smaller it wouldn't be able to support one," Ron stated seriously. They walked into the arcade and Ron waved to a few people he knew from school.

"Hey Ron!" called a voice from near the back, by the flight simulators. Shego looked back there and saw a skinny kid about Ron's age in a wheelchair.

Shego's face brightened in embarrassment. _"It's the kid Drakken stole the wheelchair from. I hope he doesn't recognize me," _she thought.

"Hey Felix, what's up!" Ron said happily as he led Shego and himself back there.

"How you been Ron? You haven't called in a while," Felix said with a smile.

"We had a mission Friday and I've been kinda busy since then. By the way this is Shelia. Shelia, this is my friend Felix," Ron said, motioning between the two of them.

Felix stuck out his hand and Shego took it and gave it a gentle shake. "Good to meet you," Shego muttered as she glanced over to the machine he was waiting for. It was a head-to-head flight combat simulator that two people were currently using.

"Nice to meet you too Shelia," Felix said and turned to Ron, "Larry told me that you were stuck to a girl, but he left out the fact that she's so beautiful." _"Hmm, she looks familiar,"_ he thought.

Shego smiled, she was starting to warm up to this kid. Ron smiled at his friend and spoke, "Just don't let Justine hear you talking like that."

"Nah, she's pretty secure," Felix stated with a wave.

"Did you ask her to the dance?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, we'll be there," Felix replied. "How about you, you asked anyone?"

"Yeah, I asked Shelia. She said yes so she's stuck with me," Ron said with a grin.

"Funny," Shego said, punching his shoulder playfully. The loser of the dogfight in the game Felix was waiting for got up. "Your game's ready," Shego said, motioning to it as Felix gave Ron a thumbs up.

Felix wheeled his chair over to the machine and set the lock, working his arms to position his body into the machine. 'Wish me luck!" he said with a smile to the two of them before settling back into the seat. He fastened the restraint and started the game.

Shego and Ron watched with interest through out the game. _"This is almost like flying the Go Jet," _Shego thought as she watched the interactive machine move as the two pilots maneuvered through the skies.

Felix made relatively short work of his opponent. "So you want a crack at me Ron? I'm looking forward to a challenge," Felix said.

"I don't know Felix, it's a single seat machine..." Ron drawled.

"Yes!" Shego said, with a little more excitement than she wanted to. Ron looked over at her surprised. "What? I like jets. Besides the seat's made to fit 'large' people, it'll fit us two just fine."

Ron and Shego slipped into the seat. It was a little tight, but not too bad. They hooked up the belt and Ron slipped a dollar into the machine and entered his pilot name, 'Mad Dog' and his passcode. The machine fired up flashing 'welcome back Mad Dog' across the screen. His jet came up, a green camo paintjob with a tiger's head symbol painted on the side and wings.

Ron blushed a little as Shego spoke, "Nice color choice there Tiger."

"Gentleman's rules Felix?" Ron asked as he took off from the starting point with the rest of his wing. The goal of the game was to destroy the other player as well as his team of pilots.

"Sure thing Mad Dog," Felix stated as he saw Ron's flight appear on his radar.

"What are gentleman's rules?" Shego asked. They were pushed back into the seat as Ron began climbing; Felix mimicked the maneuver.

Ron's fired his machine gun as he dove towards the enemy planes, Felix did the same, gaining speed as they destroyed a plane each. "We destroy the computer's fighters before we target each other. It gives us a little more playing time," Ron stated as he blew through the enemy formation. He banked sharply, pressing them tightly together as the machine tilted into the turn. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, glancing over toward her.

"Eyes on the skies Ron!" she exclaimed, pointing at the screen as the speakers started to beep. He had an incoming missile. He dove towards the ground, pulling up sharply as he dropped chafe. The missile sailed past and exploded not far behind his jet, damaging it a little.

"Oops," Ron stated sheepishly. He flew back around and engaged again taking down the enemy.

"I'm clear Ron, here I come!" warned Felix sportingly as Ron was chasing down his last fighter.

"Crap!" Ron exclaimed as Felix spun flew past him from the front, banking to turn around. Ron broke off pursuit of the last enemy to try to shake Felix, hopefully he would get a pot shot at it as he avoided Felix's fire. Try as he might Felix got behind him as the last computer plane turned around, headed straight for him. Ron headed straight for it as Felix locked onto him and fired a missile. The computer jet tried to climb away but Ron followed him up, barrel rolling and cutting his engines. The missile locked onto the hotter target and peeled away, destroying the enemy jet and knocking more 'health' off of Ron's jet. One engine was down and his flaps were damaged.

"Crud," Felix muttered. It was his turn to curse as he banked sharply away from the flaming debris in front of him. Ron banked a little wider getting behind Felix and rattled off machine gun rounds as he waited for a good missile lock. Felix dove and Ron followed but was unable to pull up as fast because of the damage to his plane and exploded as it hit the ground in a fireball.

"Aw, man!" Ron exclaimed. "He got me again!"

"You should have fired a missile and pulled up sooner," Shego stated. "You would have damaged his plane from the close blast and leveled the playing field."

"Have you played this before?" Felix asked.

"No," Shego answered, "not this game."

"You want to give it a try?" Ron asked smugly, waving a dollar in front of her face.

"Yes," Shego said with a grin as she took the dollar from him and put it in the machine. She was practically bouncing from the excitement of the game.

"I'll even play by gentleman's rules and you can target me right away," Felix offered.

"No, I'll kill the computer jets first, same as you. Just don't go crying when you get beat by a girl," Shego stated with a smirk.

"You beat him and I'll treat for ice cream," Ron stated as he crossed his arms.

"Get ready to pay up then," Shego snarked as the game started.

* * *

Bonnie and Tara walked into the mall, looking for Shego and Ron. They spotted them finishing up ice cream cones with a boy in a wheel chair. 

"Well it looks like your friends are here Shelia," Felix stated as he threw away his napkin. "Have fun you two!"

"Thanks for the challenge," Shego stated smugly. "Keep practicing and you just might beat me someday."

"See ya later man!" Ron said as his friend left, shaking his head in laughter.

"Hey ladies, you ready for some shopping?" Ron asked as Tara and Bonnie stopped in front of them.

"Oh yeah!" Tara squealed, excited. Bonnie smiled at her friend's antics as she led them further into the mall to shop for clothes.

* * *

Kim sat at the coffee table and sighed. Kim and her family were at her cousin Larry's house for family game night. Erik had begged off, it wasn't that Erik disliked Larry; he just wasn't comfortable with Kim's extended family yet. Ron would usually attend, even when Kim couldn't make it, but he was still 'bonding' with Shego. _"I wish Ron were here,"_ she thought, _"He always loves family game night."_

Larry rolled the dice and rolled a seven; just what he needed to reach home on the board game they were playing. "Hea, hea, I win," he said in his nasally voice. "Play again?" he asked everyone around the table.

"After dinner Larry, it will be ready shortly," Larry's mother said.

"All right Mom," Larry said.

"Larry, why don't you show me your new action figures until then," Kim said as he and Kim got up from the table. They went up to his room and Kim shut the door behind them.

"So what's really on your mind cousin?" Larry asked, adjusting his glasses. "You have never been interested in my action figures before."

"You know me too well Larry," Kim said with a smile. "I was just wondering who you're going to vote for Spirit Prince and Princess."

"I always vote for you for those sort of things," Larry stated. "But I don't know guys I'd vote for. You have to be on a sports team to qualify."

He rolled his eyes, "I suppose you want me to vote for Erik huh?"

"No, not at all. I thought you might vote for Ron…" Kim said.

"He's eligible?" Larry asked.

"Yeah, he is the school mascot. That does count as being on the cheer squad," she answered. "You could let your friends know that too."

"We usually don't concern ourselves with unimportant things like that, but since it's Ron..." Larry said.

"And I don't want to be Spirit Princess. I am voting for Tara. She's as peppy as they come and she is always so nice to everyone," Kim said sweetly.

"Sure," Larry said with a grin, "it's not very often I get to be in on plans to upset the food chain." Larry's mom called them down from the upstairs for dinner.

Kim smiled; things were coming together nicely.

* * *

Shego drummed her fingers on the desk as the teacher droned on and on about some subject that she cared nothing about. Ron seemed to care about it even less than Shego did as he began to nod off. Shego smiled a little and gave him a sharp poke in the ribs, causing him to jolt upright. 

"Eyes up front Stoppable," Shego whispered, "I don't want to be up half the night while you try to get your homework done when she is teaching half of what's on the worksheet right now."

"Sorry," Ron said quietly. He had been up very early. He woke up when Shego once again rolled over and cuddled with him and he didn't want to wake her up, but neither could he fall back asleep.

The bell rang dismissing the class. "No problem Ron, but all this structure is killing me. I'm taking tomorrow off," Shego stated as she stood and stretched. "Off to cheer practice?"

"What do you mean, 'taking the day off'?" Ron asked as he piled up his books and they headed to his locker.

"I can't stand all this anymore. Do you know how long it's been since I've destroyed something?" she quipped. "I'm bored out of my mind."

"OK, no problem, I guess. Kim will pick up my homework from class and I'll catch up on it over the weekend," Ron stated. "But we have to be back for the pep rally on Friday. I have to vote for Kim to be the Spirit Princess."

"Whatever," Shego said, rolling her eyes.

They went to the gym and spotted the cheer leaders as the practiced their various routines. "I think we're ready for the pep rally! Great job girls!" Kim exclaimed as they hit their routines perfectly. "You too Ron!" Ron didn't need to catch anyone, but he was right there to do so if needed and kept from tangling up any of the girls.

"Woo hoo!" Liz hooted.

"Alright Mad Dogs!" Ron yelled as Tara and a couple of the other girls began jumping and waving their pom-poms around happily.

"I think we're done here, great job again everyone!" Kim said as she headed over toward Ron. "Can I talk to you two outside please?" Kim asked, motioning to the gym doors.

"Sure KP," Ron said with a grin as they headed over there. Shego just frowned, crossing her arms while she was gently pulled along. They went outside and Kim looked around to make sure they were in private.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday," Kim said to Ron. She looked at Shego, "I still don't trust you. I never will after what you did to me and Erik, but I could have handled that a little better."

"You know I can't stay mad at you KP," Ron said with a smile, "but I'm glad you apologized to Shelia. It really bother UMP!" Ron gasped a little as Shego jabbed him in the ribs.

"I'm still not happy with you Princess, and you'll pay for it next time we fight," Shego growled.

"Fair enough," Kim said flatly as she crossed her arms. She glanced over to the gym, Tara had the girls in a huddle. _"Good, I think I've given her enough time,"_ Kim thought.

"Let's go to your house and change Ron," Shego said, pulling away from Kim. "I feel the sudden need to beat your punching bag to bits."

"Oh, alright," Ron replied. "See you later KP!" _"That went better than I thought it would," _he thought.

"Bye Ron," Kim replied.

* * *

"So what's this all about Tara?" Bonnie asked as the girls gathered around her. 

"Well... You all know that the spirit week dance is just a couple of days away..." Tara began apprehensively.

"Yes Tara, we all know that," Liz said, rolling her eyes.

Tara wrung her hands. "I was just wondering who you are all voting for," Tara said quietly.

"I was going to vote for my boyfriend, Steve Foley," Jessica said.

"Why Tara? Do you have someone you want us to all vote for?" Bonnie asked with a sigh, admiring her own fingernails at arms length.

"Well, yeah. I'm going to vote for Ron," Tara said with a content smile.

"What!?" Jessica asked. "You're going to the dance with Jason Morgan. Why are you voting for Ron?"

"Well, being spirit king is about having the most school spirit, right?" Tara asked. "Well Ron definitely has the most school spirit."

"Most of the football team has been kinda jerkish since the whole 'Brick' incident," Bonnie remarked. "And Ron did save us all during the Camp Wannaweep fiasco."

"Yeah!" Tara said brightly. "We kinda owe him one."

"Fine," Liz said, rolling her eyes. "I'll go along." The other girls murmured in agreement, except Jessica.

"I'll think about it," Jessica huffed.

"Great, thanks everybody!" Tara said happily. The group broke up as Kim approached.

"Everything go OK Tara?" Kim asked quietly on the way to the locker room.

"Great on my end," Tara stated happily. "And for you?"

"Good. This will work, trust me," Kim said confidently.

* * *

Author's notes: Special thanks to the following authors for their great stories. Check out "The Human Element" by Noobfish, it's coming along very well. Also worth noting is "From sick to wRongO" by Scareglow. And I almost forgot "The Blade and the Bloom" by NMR68. Thanks guys for the great stories! Until next time, "Rockets are go!"


	17. Chapter 17: Of Princes and Princesses

Author's notes: My sincerest apologies for keeping you all waiting so long. Life has a way of keeping you busy occasionally. I would like to thank you all for the reviews, I appreciate your input. I would like to send out a special thank you to Ghostwhiter for being my beta reader. Some strange mistakes would have slipped into the story if not for him. Zaratan has been most kind in allowing me to use Shego's background from his stories as my own. Read his fabulous stories "Ascent and Descent" and "Redemption" for some insight into Shego's psyche, not to mention some top notch reading. Enough of my yammering, on with the show!

* * *

Early morning sunlight filtered through the blinds in Ron Stoppable's room. Ron smiled as he began to wake as he felt the warm body next to him snuggling up to his side. Her head was on his shoulder and her arm was draped over him. He could hear her soft steady breathing. He slowly opened his eyes, the light coming in through the window disorientating him for a moment. He looked down to see Shego's green eyes staring back up at him a small smile etched into her face.

"Sleep well Tiger?" Shego asked.

Ron glanced over at the brand new alarm clock; it was two minutes from going off. He looked back down at Shego, who was making no effort to extract herself from his chest. "Ah, yeah Susan. How about you?"

"Really good this whole week, for a change. I might have to steal your bed when I leave," Shego stated with an impish grin.

"Maybe it's because you aren't sleeping in a lair," Ron stated with a yawn, "it can't be restful to have to be on your guard constantly."

"Probably," Shego replied. _"Or maybe it's the company. He's been great this whole week. He grows on you and I don't feel like I am being constantly judged by him,"_ she thought.

The alarm clock went off and Ron quickly shut it off, before Shego could bash it. She stretched across him and his face grew warm as her warm body moved against him. _"Is she 'making a play'?" _he thought. _"No, couldn't be, she's just grown comfortable around me, like Kim." _Ron's mother chose this moment to call up and ask if they were awake yet. "We're up Mom, we'll be down in a couple of minutes," Ron yelled toward the door.

"I suppose," Shego said with a yawn as she moved off him so they could get up. "At least it's Friday." She smiled as she remembered the day they spent at the spa in Cancun yesterday. Ron had been surprised; she had almost as many connections as Kim, only hers were richer and you didn't get to ask them any questions. She had to remind him of that several times.

"And we have a pep rally today," Ron stated, perking up noticeably as the sleep left his eyes. "And then the dance." He paused, "You still want to go with me?"

"I said I would didn't I?" Shego asked as they got off the bed. "Let's just get through the school day and I'll be happy. I don't know why I ever wanted to be a teacher."

"You wanted to be a teacher?" Ron asked.

"It was a long time ago," she said with another yawn. They got ready and left for school, ready to endure another day.

* * *

Shego huffed, as they pushed past another bunch of students milling about on the gym floor. It was after 7th period and the gym was filling up for the pep rally. It wasn't easy moving through the crowds when you're twice as wide as you used to be and your left side occasionally tries to go left when you're trying to go right.

"Hey KP!" Ron waved to Kim who was sitting down in the front row with the rest of the cheerleaders.

"Hey Ron!" Kim replied, scooting over and making room for the two of them between Tara and herself.

"That's OK Kim, the Mad Dog has been sidelined due to a sticky situation," Ron said with a grin.

"I know you aren't coming out for this routine, but you're still part of the team and should sit with us," Kim answered.

"Hi Ron," Tara said with a smile as he sat next to her.

"Heya Tara, you ready for the routine?" Ron asked.

"Of course, we've been practicing all week. We're going to stick this thing!" she stated enthusiastically.

Shego just rolled her eyes at the peppy cheerleader and looked away, only to roll her eyes again when she saw Kim on the other side of them. "What have I done to deserve this torment?" she muttered.

Mr. Barkin stepped up behind the podium and stared sternly at the few students still trying to find a good seat. "Find a seat!" he barked into the microphone. The remaining people quickly found someplace nearby to sit down lest they face the wrath of Middleton High's second most feared teacher. (Even Steve Barkin's detention was nothing compared to library lockup!) "We have reached the end of the outpouring frenzy of school pride known as Spirit week. In a salute to our school the cheer squad would like to perform their award winning routine." He stepped away from the podium to stand off to the side of the bleachers. Kim and the rest of the cheer squad, sans Ron, made their way out to the floor. Music came over the loudspeakers in the gym and the cheerleaders started their routine to the delight of the rest of the students.

Ron bobbed to the beat while Shego sat with her arms folded across her chest as the girls spun and flipped with Barbie-doll smiles on their faces. The routine ended to a thunderous applause and Mr. Barkin made his way to the podium again as the girls sat back down.

"Thank you ladies," Mr. Barkin stated. "Now I would like to recognize those teams that represented our school so well throughout the year…" He went on to name most of the teams either making it to regionals or state level competition. Ron stood up with the cheerleading squad when they were recognized. After naming the last of the teams and individuals for track, swimming, gymnastics, etc. Mr. Barkin waited for the applause to go down. "We have a tradition of crowning the male and female athlete that exemplifies Middleton High's spirit as Spirit Prince and Princess. The ballots collected and tallied will give us our finalists." The crowd was tense in anticipation. He was handed a sheet by one of the other teachers, who was adding the ballots up during the assembly. "Your finalists for Spirit Princess are: Kim Possible, Bonnie Rockwaller, and Tara Mathews. The crowd clapped, a few whistles sounded out but quickly died down as Mr. Barkin started scanning the crowd. As it quieted he looked down and frowned before reading the next names. "Your finalists for Spirit Prince are Josh Mankey, Erik Wallenbeck, and Ron Stoppable." More clapping, as well as hushed whispering and quiet grumbling, came from the students in the bleachers. "Quiet down people," Mr. Barkin stated sharply into the microphone. "The Spirit Prince and Princess will be announced at the Spirit Dance tonight." He looked at his watch, _"4, 3, 2, 1," _he counted to himself as the bell prepared to ring, heralding the end of the school day. The bell rang on his zero count and he yelled into the microphone as the student population surged to their feet. "Hold it! Sit down! You will all exit this gymnasium in an orderly manner. Row one, stand up and make your way out of the gym, single file.."

Ron, Shego, and the rest of the cheerleaders were spared having to hear more of Mr. Barkin barking since they were in the front row. The squad was abuzz with the news that four of their members were nominees.

"Congratulations!" Tara said excitedly, pulling Kim and Bonnie in for quick hugs before turning to do the same to Ron. Shego glared at her as she approached. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to forget about you!" Tara smiled and pulled Shego into the hug she was giving Ron. "Maybe we will be crowned together!" Tara practically squealed; she was so excited.

"That'd be nice, but I doubt I'll win, I don't know how I even got nominated in the first place," Ron said, a little puzzled.

"You're too hard on yourself Ron," Kim stated, "The only people that don't like you in this school are some of the football players, bullies, and Brick's old friends."

"Well I have to get ready, see you all there!" Tara said happily as everyone split up at the front entrance.

"See you all there!" Ron said with a wave. "Bye KP!"

"Bye Ron!" Kim said, biting her lip. _"Why hasn't Wade come up with a cure yet!?"_ she thought as Erik and her left.

Ron and Shego headed to his truck, climbing in awkwierdly together.

"So, you want to go in or hit drive through?" Ron asked as he steered the truck out of the parking lot and headed towards Bueno Nacho.

"I don't know, how much time do we have before the dance starts?" Shego asked, distracted.

"It starts at six and goes to midnight," Ron said as he pulled into the parking lot.

"Six! We don't have time to stop! I have to do my hair, get my outfit ready, do my makeup, file and paint my nails. Not to mention taking a shower," she rattled off quickly.

"No time for Nacos?" Ron said, stricken.

Rufus popped out of his pocket, and slumped down. "Hnk, need cheese," he groaned as he gave Shego a pathetic look, his tongue hanging from his mouth.

"Fine. Drive through, and you better not take too long," Shego conceded with a hint of a smile. "I don't want anything, I've had enough Bueno Nacho this week to last me a year."

Rufus just looked at her, aghast, while Ron chuckled and ordered for Rufus and himself. They got their food and went to his house and got ready for the dance. Shego took the time to have a sandwich that Ron made for her so she wouldn't get too hungry at the dance.

* * *

"Kim, are you sure he's coming?" Tara asked nervously.

"Yes Tara, Wade said he left the house ten minutes ago," Kim stated calmly. "He should be here any minute."

Kim smiled as she saw Ron and Shego walk into gym for the dance. They were a little late, but things take a little longer when you're stuck to someone, Kim knew that from experience. See looked over to Erik and whispered, "Shego must have picked out his clothes." Ron was wearing a forest green shirt with khakis and a black leather belt that Kim had gotten him for his birthday since his pants kept falling down. Kim had to admit to herself that Shego looked nice as well, she had a light green button-up blouse with a black skirt and was wearing emerald earrings and an emerald pendant that set off her eyes perfectly.

Ron saw her and waved as Felix came up and invited him to the table he was sharing with Justine Flanner and a few of her friends. "Hi Kim, Erik," Ron hollered to them as he passed on the way to Felix's table.

"Hey Kim, hey Erik, you two want to join us?" Felix asked as they passed. Shego whipped her head around and glared at Kim.

"Not right now Felix," Kim said kindly. "Maybe a little later."

"Yeah, I told the guys on the team that we'd hang with them tonight, but maybe we can sneak away later," Erik added.

"Alrighty, catch ya later!" Felix said, whipping around to catch up to Ron and Shego.

Ron and Shego sat at the table with Felix, Justine, Kevin Guberman, and his date Janine Walker. They chatted for a while, Shego got along especially well with Kevin, who was an airplane aficionado.

A few minutes into the conversation, Ron felt a tap on his shoulder. Shego and he turned around to see Kim smiling at Ron. "Hey Ron, Wade called," she said happily holding out the Kimmunicator.

"No! Don't tell me a villain is trying to ruin the first dance we've had since the Diablos!" Ron pleaded holding out his hands. Kim gave him the Kimmunicator.

"Nope. All is well Ron," Wade stated from the Kimmunicator screen. "I just thought you'd like to know that I figured out how to separate you two. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. It isn't a solvent per say, but a high frequency sound wave that disrupts the bonding agent."

"So if we just would have waited for the music to start we might have just popped apart?" Shego asked.

"Well I suppose so," Wade replied, "but I can emit the frequency through the Kimmunicator if you'd like. Just hold it close to the bond."

"Go for it Wade," Kim said.

A high-pitched whining came from the Kimmunicator as Ron and Shego tried to pull away from each other. People nearby covered their ears as Ron and Shego pulled apart with a little 'pop'.

"You rock Wade!" Ron said pumping his fist while Wade ended the noise.

"Thanks Wade," Shego stated.

Kim took the Kimmunicator back, "Thanks a bunch Wade, we'll talk to you later." She pushed the off button and put it away.

By then the gym had filled up and Mr. Barkin stepped away from monitoring the punch bowl long enough to address the students. "Listen up people," Mr. Barkin said into the microphone the DJ handed him. "I am proud of the way you have all represented this school this year. And we have left it to all of you to choose the two people that you believe best represent the Mad Dog spirit. He pulled out a pair of envelopes as Mr. Davis, the shop teacher and Mrs. Hammond, the drama club director, brought out the crowns they made for the dance. "Your Spirit Princess is.." he opened the envelope and read the name, "Tara Mathews."

The students applauded and cheered, even Bonnie smiled and gave her a hug. "You deserve it T."

Tara walked up to the stage looking the part of the princess, dressed in the sundress she bought when shopping with Shego and Bonnie, her platinum hair glowing in the dimmed light. She stepped up to the stage that had been set up and turned to the crowd as Mrs. Hammond placed the tiara on her head. "Thank you everyone, I can't believe this is happening!" she said happily, her eyes watering just enough to sparkle in the light. She rocked on her feet nervously with her hand clasped in front of her as she waited for Mr. Barkin to announce the name of her prince.

Mr. Barkin cleared his throat. "Middleton High School's Sprit Prince is…" he tore open the envelope and unfolded the paper, appearing a little shocked, "Ron Stoppable?"

Ron was dumbstruck as his name was called. "Wha? How?" he stammered. The jocks looked on, as stunned as he was, while the rest of the student cheered.

"Up to the stage Stoppable!" Mr. Barkin called. Shego gave him a gentle push towards the front; he was still a little dazed.

Ron glanced at the paper as he stepped up next to Tara. "Are you sure you got the right name Mr. B.?" Ron asked.

"I always count twice Ronald," Mrs. Hammond said from behind him as Mr. Davis placed the crown on his head.

The students looked up expectantly. "Umm.. Wow," Ron said to the laughter of his classmates. "Thanks everyone, I'm honored to be picked for this, I never dreamed this would happen. I don't know what to say."

"I think you said it well enough," Tara giggled. "Congratulations!" she said, wrapping him in a hug. Shego looked on, a little more green-eyed than normal. They made their way off of the stage, Ron holding Tara's hand while she stepped down. She gave his hand a little squeeze as they parted to go to their dates.

"Not such the buffoon anymore, are you?" Shego asked with a smile.

"I dunno, time will tell," Ron said seriously. The DJ began to play some music and Ron held out his hand to Shego. "Do you want to dance?" Shego took his hand as he led her to the dance floor.

* * *

Shego's cheeks were flushed from all of the dancing they had been doing. The two of them decided to take a break for a moment after a particularly fast song and headed to their seats. They both downed their punch in silence, well as much silence as you can have at a dance.

"Do you want another glass?" Ron asked her.

"That'd be great," she said with a happy smile. Ron stood up and gathered their glasses to get them refilled.

Kim saw Ron slip away from Shego's side to refill their punch glasses. She squeezed Erik's hand. "I'm going to find out why she's still here," Kim stated, standing up. _"You'd think that they would have had enough closeness over the past week and would be sick of each other by now,"_ she thought to herself as she hurried across the room to their table.

Shego's face darkened as she saw her rival cross the dance floor towards her. "What is it princess?" Shego asked, leaning back into the chair to look up at her.

"That's what I want to know," Kim stated crossly, folding her arms in front of her. "Why are you still here?"

"What's it to you? You have your little boyfriend over there, do you need Ron hanging on you too?" Shego snapped.

"We had a deal. I said I wouldn't turn you into Global Justice if you'd leave with no difficulties as soon as you were separated from Ron," Kim stated.

"Actually I said that I would leave quietly. And I'm Ron's date tonight," Shego said with a grin. "Do you really want me to leave him dateless when his night has been going so well?"

"Hmm, let me think," Kim said, tapping her finger against her chin. "Yes," she said with finality.

"Have it your way Princess," Shego said standing up and straightening the front of her blouse. She turned her head towards Ron, who was just returning with their drinks. "But you tell him."

"Tell me what?" Ron asked, as he approach with a hopeful half-smile.

"Um.. Ah..," Kim stammered, blushing a little. "I yah.."

"Go ahead Kimmie," Shego said sweetly.

Kim got a hard look of determination on her face. "I was telling Shego she is free to go, as was our deal when we agreed not to turn her in to Global Justice," Kim stated.

"Yeah, I suppose," Ron stated, setting the drinks on the table. "You can of course leave if you want Shelia. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, but I'd hoped you'd stay through the dance." Ron rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"If it's no trouble Ronnie," Shego purred while Kim fumed. "Besides, I have to collect my things from your house before I leave."

"Good," Ron said with a genuine smile this time, "glad that's settled."

"I have to use the little girls room," Shego said, running her fingers across Ron's arm. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Shego headed to the bathroom, happy to be able to go by her self again. She looked under the stall doors, making sure there was no one else to see her. She gave a giddy laugh as she spun around in front of the mirror. The look of happiness on her face, combined with the youth from the juvinator made her gasp. She hadn't seen herself like that since before Jason died, before Dr. Chaos. She went about her business, her memories dragging her down just a little bit.

Kim watched Shego enter the restroom. _"Now is my chance,"_ she thought. She looked over to Erik and tilted her head towards the DJ booth. He nodded and headed towards the microphone.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"Oh you'll see, your highness," Kim said slyly, straightening his crown.

Erik stepped up behind the podium as the song ended. "Now ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the spirit dance, can we get our Spirit Prince and Princess out here?" he said into the microphone. "Tara? Ron?"

"Oh, I'm gonna get you for this Kim," Ron said sheepishly as he turned to the dance floor. Kim just smiled in return, happy that her plan was working.

The dance floor cleared as Ron and Tara stepped onto it to the applause of the other students. Well, most were applauding. Several of the upset jocks were glaring at Ron with extreme distaste. Ron looked over to Jason Morgan, Tara's date, who just gave him a friendly wave and a smile.

"Hi Ron," Tara said, the picture of beauty with her cheeks flushed and a dazzling smile on her face.

"Hey Tara," Ron stammered, "Can I have this dance?"

"Of course silly!" Tara giggled as the music started to play. Ron groaned inwardly as he heard the music; while Tara's smile got even larger as the hit from their Prom, Could it Be, began to play. She placed both her arms on his shoulders and looked into his eyes as the music started. They danced for a moment as the only couple on the floor then more began to join them.

Ron was becoming a little nervous; Tara was working her way closer to him. "Um, Tara. Aren't we dancing a little close?" he asked softly.

"Don't worry Ron, I won't bite," Tara said sweetly.

"But what about Jason?" he asked.

"He doesn't mind Ron, trust me," Tara replied as she pressed forward and lay her head on his shoulder.

Ron stepped back holding her at arms length. "But Shelia might," he stated softly, not wanting to hurt Tara's feelings.

"OK Ronnie," Tara said, her grin fading just a little as they danced further apart.

Ron glanced over Tara's shoulder as the song wound down. "I wonder what she's grinning about?" he thought, looking at Kim. He followed her eyes to the doorway and caught a glimpse of green and black leaving the building.

* * *

Shego washed her hands and left the restroom. _"I could use some of that 'Ronshine', Ron is always bragging about,"_ she thought, upset by the memories of her own teenage years. She looked over at the table he had been by, but he wasn't there anymore. She did a quick scan of the crowd and saw him on the dance floor with Tara. They were talking quietly as they danced to a slow song. She listened to the words for a moment as the frown on her face deepened. Tara stepped forward and laid her head on Ron's shoulder and Shego turned away. A head of auburn hair caught her eye as she noticed Kim standing next to Erik at the edge of the dance floor, looking at Ron happily. Kim caught Shego's look and grinned like the cat that ate the canary. Shego growled and ripped off her corsage, throwing it to the floor. She headed towards the door, brushing past people as she left the building. She walked quickly along the sidewalk angrily. _"Damn floodlights," _she thought as she squinted against the bright intrusion in the darkness, _"They're making my eyes water." _She sniffed as she walked through the parking lot. _"He's better off with a normal date like her instead of a freak like me anyways."_ The noise from the gym was fading when she heard a set of footsteps approaching rapidly. She looked behind her, spotting Ron running towards her from the gym.

"Shelia!" he yelled, "wait up!"

Shego turned and kept walking. "Go back to your dance and your two Princesses Stoppable. They might miss their Spirit Prince and Kimmie will accuse me of kidnapping you," she said flatly, a scowl across her face.

"I want to go back to the dance, but I want to go back with you," Ron said trying to keep up without breaking into a run.

"I don't want to burden you with the freak with green skin," Shego growled. "Just go back to your Princess with her perfect blond hair, and shining blue eyes, and perfect skin!"

"That's enough!" Ron said forcefully stepping in front of her.

Shego wordlessly dropped back into a combat stance.

Ron continued, "I don't let anyone talk about my friends like that, not even when they're talking about themselves."

"Friends? That's why you ditched me for the bimbo?" Shego snarled.

"No! She's the Spirit Princess, we had to dance together at least once," Ron said, almost pleading, "It's tradition!"

Shego relaxed a little, standing upright again and crossing her arms, "And is it tradition to coo to each other and cuddle up close on the dance floor?"

"We were just talking, and when she laid her head on my shoulder I stepped back and told her that wasn't OK. I meant what I said to KP the other day, I really do want to go to this dance with you, not Tara, not Kim, not anyone else."

Shego looked away, rolling her eyes and sighing a little as she calmed down a little. "I may have over reacted a little. The way Princess was grinning at me while Tara was cuddling up to you, practically laughing at me," Shego muttered.

"Jealous much?" Ron said raising his eyebrows.

Shego jabbed her fingers into his ribs stiffly and walked a few steps away, looking up at the moon. "Insulted is more the word for it Stoppable," she stated with a hint of annoyance.

"Sorry, that's not what that was about, at least not for me," Ron stated, coming up beside her. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"No," she said looking up at him.

"You look exceptionally beautiful tonight Susan," Ron said. He glanced up at the stars, inspiration striking. "It is good it is a cloudless night."

"Why is that Ron?"

His face cracked into a grin, "Because the heavenly bodies above can look down and see your grace and beauty, and learn to become more beautiful themselves."

Shego rolled her eyes but was unable to stop from breaking out in a smile. "That's cheesy, even for you Ron," she stated. "You spun that off of the flower thing that Felix told Justine didn't you?"

"Yep," Ron replied with a smile. He held out the corsage that Shego had thrown to the floor "You dropped this."

"Thanks," she said, taking it from him and pinning it back on her blouse.

"You're welcome," he said, taking her hand and turning back toward the gym. There was a jerk on his hand and he looked back at Shego.

"I don't really want to go back," Shego stated.

"Oh, OK," Ron said lightly, trying to hide his disappointment. "Did you want me to take you home?"

"Not yet," Shego stated. A slow song started in the gym, it's music drifting faintly to their ears. "I want to dance here."

Ron moved up and took her in his arms. They danced, moving closer throughout the song before Shego laid her head on his shoulder. The song ended and they separated as a livelier tune picked up.

Shego looked up into his eyes, her mouth curling up into a small smile. _"How does he make someone feel better just by looking at them?" _she wondered. "We can go in now," she stated.

"You sure you want to? We can stay out here if you want."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "And give Kimmie the satisfaction of thinking she drove me off?" she asked. "I don't think so. Besides, I left my purse on the table." They walked arm and arm back to the gym.

* * *

It was shortly after midnight when Shego pulled Ron's truck into the driveway of the Stoppable residence. Shego let it idle for a minute before shutting it down. "It sure runs nice," she stated as she handed Ron the keys. "But then again, Motor Ed does know cars."

"You forgot to mention that he's a raving lunatic with his head stuck in the 80's," Ron said, raising his eyebrows. He took the keys and unlocked the front door. The house was quiet, his parents long since in bed. They made their way up to his room.

"I going to get cleaned up," Shego stated, grabbing her bag and heading for his bathroom.

Ron went downstairs and used the bathroom there to shower and brush his teeth. He changed into his blue fearless ferret, button-up PJ's and headed towards the stairs. Shego was already done and was coming down the stairs, dressed in her lime green pajamas.

"You coming?" she asked quietly, tilting her head towards his room.

"Yep," he said with a smile. He stopped at the hallway closet at the top of the stairs and grabbed the sleeping bag off of his mission pack as well as a extra blanket. He entered the room and rolled out the sleeping bag. "Can you toss me my pillow? You can have the bed tonight," Ron whispered to Shego.

She handed over one of the pillows. "You don't have to sleep on the floor Ron. It's your room, I'll take the floor," Shego whispered.

"It's no problem, I'm used to sleeping just about anywhere from all the traveling me and Kim do on missions. I'd like you to have the bed, you said you sleep great in it," Ron replied.

Shego shrugged her shoulders, "Have it your way." She crawled under the covers and waited until Ron was situated until she turned off the light.

A long moment passed as they each got comfortable.

"Stoppable?" Shego whispered.

"Yeah Susan?"

"Thanks."

"It was my pleasure and honor," he said, smiling in the darkness.

"Goodnight," Shego whispered, a smile splitting her face as well

"Goodnight," he replied. The music of the evening played in their ears as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Shego found herself in a familiar setting. She was seventeen again, strapped to the wall of Dr. Chaos's lair. She looked upon the back of her tormentor as he hunched over the figure on the table; too occupied by his work to look up at the woman screaming at him.

"Just a moment my dear, I have to finish up with your boyfriend here." Only the occasional grunt and slight rattle of the chains used to bind him gave any indication of life from the prisoner on the table. Shego knew she was dreaming, but it was of little consequence to her at the moment. Dr. Chaos turned around with the man's heart in his hand, still twitching slightly. "He said you'd always have his heart, he was wrong," snickered the villain madly. Shego averted her eyes as the bile rose in her throat; she caught a look at the boy on the table, her boyfriend. She blinked; something was different this time. Instead of the short, brown hair and light blue eyes of her boyfriend Jason, she saw blond hair, a smattering of freckles, and deep, chocolate brown eyes.

"Ron!" she groaned as she bolted upright in bed. She sat for a moment wide-eyed and breathing heavily. She realized her hands were lit as the blankets fell in tatters to the bed. Ron stirred as she regained control of herself, dimming her glow and slowing her breathing. She crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom, wiping the sweat from her face. The bit of moonlight that made its way through the blinds showed the tattered remains of the blankets on the bed. _"Great,"_ she thought moving towards it. She stepped over Ron to get to the bed and paused. She reached over and grabbed her pillow off of the bed and set it next to his on the floor and crawled under the blankets while Ron slept on.

Ron rolled over on the floor, grumbling.

His mother called up the stairs again. "Don't make me come up and get you!"

He opened his eyes to see Shego lying on the floor next to him. Her eyes slowly opened too. "Morning," she said, sleep still in her eyes. "I kinda shredded your blankets last night, so I slept down here. I'll send you a new set."

"Oh, OK," Ron said sleepily as he sat up and looked over at the bed. "You don't have to like the Fearless Ferret if you don't want to, but that's a little harsh," he said with a grin.

"I had a nightmare OK?" Shego muttered, her face flushing in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I kinda figured," Ron said quietly. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," she snapped. He flinched back and she sighed. "I'm sorry Ron, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just don't want to talk about it."

"It's OK Shego, I better go see what my Mom wanted or she'll be up here in a minute," Ron said as he got up.

He left the room while Shego got up and started getting her things gathered up. _"Not what I would have considered for a vacation, but I did have some fun,"_ she thought. _"Now I know why Kim keeps him around, other than for stumbling upon the self-destruct button occasionally."_

Ron came back upstairs. "My Mom cooked some breakfast, you coming?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get something to eat before I head out," she stated as she put the last of her clothes away. Ron followed her down the steps to the kitchen. Mrs. Stoppable had plates out for them both. Mr. Stoppable had apparently eaten already since his plate was empty but for a few crumbs.

"Good morning dear, it's nice to see you and Ron have gotten past the bonding problem," Mrs. Stoppable said. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Over easy please," Shego replied.

"You can pour your own drink from the fridge. Ron, put some bread in the toaster," Mrs. Stoppable ordered as she worked at the stove.

Shego poured herself a glass of milk. "Did you want milk too Ron?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Ron replied. Shego poured him a glass.

Mrs. Stoppable finished the eggs after Ron and Shego had already sat down and started buttering their toast, Rufus was still in Ron's dresser drawer, asleep. "So how did the dance go last night?" Ron's mother asked as she slid eggs onto Ron and Shego's plates.

"Good," Ron replied.

"Better than good," Shego said as she dipped her toast in the egg yolks. "It was the most fun I've had in a long time." Ron beamed.

"It's nice to see Ron on a date with someone other than Kim Possible," Mrs. Stoppable said.

"Mom," Ron whined.

"Well I'm sorry but it's the truth Ronald. She goes to every dance with you that she doesn't have a boyfriend for but she's always keeping her eyes open instead of looking at what she has right in front of her," Mrs. Stoppable said sharply. She sighed as she began cleaning up.

"KP's a great friend Mom, besides, I've been out with other girls before. Remember Zita?"

"I never met her Ronald, so she doesn't count," Mrs. Stoppable huffed. "Shelia, did you want to go to Temple with us this morning," Mrs. Stoppable asked.

"I don't think so," Shego replied. "It's nothing against you, I just haven't gone to Temple in a long time."

"You're Jewish?" Mrs. Stoppable asked.

"Yes," Shego replied. "Though I haven't been practicing for years."

"Why not?" Mrs. Stoppable asked. She noticed Shego tense up a little at the question.

"I don't like to talk about it, maybe another time," Shego mumbled.

"That would be wonderful my dear. So we can look forward to having you over again sometime? It would be lovely to see Ronald spending a little more time with different friends."

"We'll see," Shego stated non-committedly.

The three of them chatted for a little while before Ron and his mother had to get ready to go.

"We'll see you when we get back won't we?" Mrs. Stoppable asked.

"Probably not. My ride should be here soon," Shego stated flatly.

"Oh, then bye dear," Mrs. Stoppable said, wrapping Shego up in a hug. "Like the daughter I never had."

Shego stood stiffly in shock for a moment before giving a small squeeze back; she knew if she didn't the hug would go on for minutes. "Thanks for everything Mrs. Stoppable," Shego said sheepishly.

"Anytime dear. If you're back in town for any reason feel free to stop by and visit."

"I will," Shego replied. Ron's father beeped the horn in the driveway.

"We'd better get going," Mrs. Stoppable said heading out the door to give them time to say goodbye.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Ron said flatly.

Shego broke in a grin, "Don't worry, you'll see me around, when Kimmie comes to stop Dr. D. Just don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you were a good date.

Ron blushed. "Thanks," he said. He raised his arm to shake her hand. Shego rolled her eyes and stepped forward and gave him a hug.

"After being stuck together for a week I think I can stand a hug," she said.

"Goodbye Susan," Ron said.

"Bye Tiger," Shego replied with a grin.

Ron turned and walked to the car, watching as the front door closed and his father backed out of the driveway.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18: Payback and Acquiescence

Author's Notes: I would like to thank everyone that reviewed last chapter. I do not respond to every review, but I do appreciate them. I would like to send a special thanks out to Ghostwhiter for beta reading for me. Grab yourself something to drink and prepare for a bit of a read. This chapter ran a little long as my ideas took on a life of their own as I was typing. Let me know what you think! 

* * *

Shego watched carefully as the henchmen carried her new bed through the lair to her bedroom. "Just set it outside the door, I will take it from here," she ordered the pair of thugs. "Carefully!" she snarled as they banged it around trying to situate it. They finished putting the last pieces down and stood up, stretching their backs. "Now beat it," she stated off-handedly, effectively dismissing the henchmen. They left quickly as she stepped into the room and dropped her baggage. She pulled off the bedding and disassembled the old bed before bringing in Ron's bed and began setting it up. She just finished putting the mattress on when she heard a knocking on the door.

"SHEGO!" Drakken yelled from the other side of the door.

"How many times do I have to tell you Dr. D.?" Shego asked. "Don't come to my room, just call me to the lab or something."

"I haven't been able to contact you for a week and you decide to redecorate before you come and see me?" Dr. Drakken growled through the door.

"Yeah?" she snipped, "what of it? It's the weekend and I'm off duty unless there is a world domination scheme scheduled, as per my contract."

"You've been gone all week and you think you're getting the weekend off?" Dr. D. asked, stunned.

"I haven't taken a sick day since Princess got us sick when we stole Ray X, so you can just count this last week as sick time," she stated.

"Nrggg," Drakken growled. "Do you at least have Dementor's mask?" he asked.

Shego went over to her bag and dug through it pulling the mask out of her cat suit's pocket. She walked over to the door and cracked it open just enough to get her arm out and shoved the mask into Drakken's hands. "Here. I have some business to take care of before Monday, so unless you need me for anything I will be taking a hover car for the rest of the weekend," Shego stated.

Drakken giggled happily. "That's fine Shego, it will take a few days to replicate enough of these for the henchmen. What do you think our first target should be? Fort Knox? Henchco?" he asked, suddenly giddy with excitement.

"Whatever," Shego sighed. Drakken didn't even hear her as he practically danced merrily to his lab to begin analyzing and replicating the masks. She took her time setting up the bed and dumping out her things before she was ready to go. "Time to visit my brothers and Hego again," she thought.

* * *

Ron sat at 'his' table at Bueno Nacho and breathed in the aroma of his grande-sized naco platter. The bell on the door dinged and Ron looked up to see his best friend and her boyfriend walk in. 

"Hi KP, hi Erik," Ron said, waving.

"Hey Ron, let us order and we'll be right over," Kim said. Kim and Erik stepped over to the counter and they ordered. They filled their sodas and headed to the table, Ned was great about bringing the food out to them. "So how is it being able to do things on your own again?" Kim asked brightly.

"_A little lonely,"_ Ron thought. "Great," he said. "So how was the dance for you guys?"

"We had a great time your highness," Erik joked with him. "How did you like dancing with Tara?" he asked.

"Oh, stop with the your highnessing. It's bad enough I had to put up with it at the dance!" Ron protested lightly. "There's no crown here anymore," he stated, pointing to his head, he paused for a moment. "Dancing with Tara was fine, though I wasn't that fond of the song choice."

"Oh, sorry Ron," Kim said a little sheepishly. "I didn't know that you don't like that song."

"No big KP. It's not important. I don't even know why I don't like it," Ron stated, waving it off. "Besides, I had a great time at the dance. The decorations were great, Monkey boy made an awesome banner and you didn't even tear it down this time," he said, giving her a little ribbing.

"Ugh, you had to bring that up," Kim said rolling her eyes. "That was two years ago."

"What happened?" Erik asked.

"Long story short," Ron began, KP slipped off of the mad dog pyramid while eyeing up the art club's golden boy and ended up tearing down the banner as she fell."

"That had to be embarrassing," Erik stated.

"You have no idea," Kim said flatly, glaring at Ron for sharing her experience.

"Oh look the food's here," Ron said, quickly changing the subject as Ned approached the table with Erik and Kim's orders.

"Thanks Ned," Kim stated as he set down the trays.

"It is my pleasure Miss Possible," Ned stated. "Two tacodia salads for you," he said placing the tray in front of Kim, "and a naco platter for you." He placed the last tray in front of Erik.

"Nice choice of meal Erik," Ron said to Erik before turning to Kim. "What's with the second salad KP? You usually only order one."

"This one is for Monique. She's picking up some pictures for me from the Photo Stop in the mall," Kim stated as she set the plate in the empty spot on Ron's side of the table.

"Speak of the devil," Erik stated as Monique got off of the bus on the corner. She walked into Bueno Nacho and made her way to the booth. Ron scooted over so she could sit down.

"Hi Monique," Kim said happily.

"Hello Monique," Ron and Erik said at the same time.

"Jinx, you both owe me a soda," Monique said, sitting down and looking at her meal. "Which is a good thing since I don't see one here for me."

"Sorry," Kim stated, "I forgot about the soda."

"I've got enough change for a fellow GWA fan," Ron stated, motioning for her to scoot out. He went to the counter and came back with a drink for her. Kim and Monique were looking through a stack of photos. Kim tucked away part of the stack and began shuffling through the rest of them. "Here you are Monique," Ron stated, handing her the soda.

"Thanks Ron," Monique said as she shuffled through the pictures. Ron sat back down and looked at the photos over Monique's shoulder.

"Here's a nice one of you and Tara dancing," Kim said, handing him a photo. "Keep it, I got double prints."

"Oh, thanks KP," Ron stated, taking the picture. It was a nice picture of Ron and Tara dancing. Ron looked handsome, looking at Tara as she smiled radiantly.

"That one's gonna make the yearbook, YCBOI," Monique stated, looking at the picture in Ron's hands.

"OK, you got me on that one Monique," Erik stated, puzzled. Kim and Ron nodded their heads in agreement.

Monique sighed. "You can bet on it," she stated.

Ron flipped through the other pictures, noticing there were none with Shego in them. "Some nice pictures in here KP, but none of Shelia. She must have been dodging the camera," Ron stated.

"I wasn't the photographer, I wouldn't know," Kim said, blushing a little bit.

"I guess, she probably wouldn't want photographic evidence that she was there anyways," Ron said, shrugging his shoulders and trying to hide the hint of a frown starting to come upon his face.

"So how is everything going? We missed you sparring this morning," Kim said quickly, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, sorry about that. My mom was a little tweaked when she went up to my room and discovered I didn't have a bed anymore. She made me clean the basement this time," Ron said with a little shudder.

"What, did you and Shelia break the bed after the dance?" Erik asked. "Way to gOWW!" he yelled as one of Kim's heels mashed into the top of his foot.

Monique nearly spit soda all over Kim. "You didn't, did you?" Monique sputtered.

"Of course not," Ron said, blushing and handing Monique a napkin. "She slept in the bed while I was on the floor. She told me Friday morning she slept really good in my bed and might have to steal it." Ron quickly picked up his second naco and stuffed his face.

"What did you tell your mom?" Kim asked after regaining her composure.

"That I needed a new one anyways and I knew she was going to take it," Ron said.

"I bet that went over like a lead balloon," Erik stated.

"Yeah, she's making me buy a new one," Ron stated with a shrug. "I'll just go to Smarty Mart later today and pick one up."

"Well, we do know that she's a thief," Kim stated. "It's good that you aren't stuck to her anymore. Besides, I think that Tara is crushing on you again."

"Even I picked up on that this time KP," Ron stated.

"So you going to ask her out Ron?" Monique asked.

"I don't know; I'm not really up for dating right now. There's been so much going on lately. Besides, I'm going to Yaminouchi again this summer and that's just around the corner. Heck, I don't even know if I'll be there for a few weeks or the whole summer."

"You could just ask her for a date or two Ron, you don't have to go steady or anything," Kim stated.

"We'll see KP," Ron stated, turning his attention to his food. Kim took the hint to let it be for now and started chatting with Monique between bites while Ron and Erik ate.

* * *

Shego landed the hover car on the roof of GO tower. She had hacked the system on the way in and temporarily disabled the alarm so she wouldn't have to deal with Hego. He should be at work right now, but she didn't want to chance it. She just wanted to get in, grab the rejuvinator, and get out. She noiselessly made her way to her room and opened the door, quietly closing it behind her and flipping on the light. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in what used to be her room. All of her personal things were gone, her bed, her dressers, her stuffed animals and posters, all of it, gone. In their place was a game room. A blue-felted pool table dominated the room, while a dartboard and pinball machine lay claim to the corners. She moved to the closet and opened it, fearing what she would see. The closet was empty; save for a note hanging on a string, with a key taped to the paper. Shego took it down and read what passed for Hego's handwriting. 

_Susan,_

_Your recent remarks, not to mention your continuous support of evil, have left me no choice but to remove you from Team Go's roster. I have moved your personal belongings, minus a few items to the storage facility on the corner of 6__th__ and Main. The last straw was finding out you have been using the Go Tower as a storage house for your instruments of evil. I crushed them all and burnt the remnants. You should know better than to bring such things here. I cannot in good conscience allow you to visit the twins anymore. Your influence on them shows in their attitude since you left. Do not try to visit again or I will be forced to turn you into the authorities._

_Hego_

Shego took the key off of the paper and crumbled it in one hand before incinerating it. "That jerk!" she screamed to the ceiling. She blasted the pool table repeatedly, shattering the slate top and breaking the framework until it was a pile of rubble. "I can't believe he did this to me! He's supposed to be my brother!" she screamed. She lashed out again, shattering the pool cues in the rack on the wall where one of her posters used to hang. "He's supposed to love me no matter what," she whispered as her eyes watered up. She hardened herself and gave into her anger; it was easier to deal with then the pain. She shut off the light and left the room, heading down to Hego's room. He had the largest bedroom in the tower. He justified it because he was the leader and was bigger than them. She opened the door and flipped on the light. Looking around she marveled at the model airplanes hanging from the ceiling in various formations. It was actually quite impressive, especially considering how brutish Hego was, that he could do such lovely work. Hego and Shego did share that one passion, aircraft. Shego liked them for their speed and the sense of freedom you got when flying. Hego had never learned how to fly one, he was actually quite clumsy when it came to operating machinery, but that didn't stop him from loving them. There were prop planes from WWII through to modern military jets, as well as a few civilian models. She sat down at the desk, cluttered with the current model he was working on, and picked up the craft knife to do some modeling of her own.

* * *

Ron left the Bueno Nacho parking lot and headed back to his house. He wanted to clean out the back of the truck so the bed wouldn't get dirty on his way home from Smarty Mart. He pulled into the driveway and went in the front door to find the living room filled with several large cardboard packages. 

"Ronald, is that you?" his mother called from the kitchen.

"Yeah Mom," Ron sated, closing the door behind him. "What are these packages for?" he asked curiously.

"I was hoping you could tell me dear," Mrs. Stoppable said, walking into the living room. "A delivery man dropped them off. They're addressed to you."

"Really," Ron said checking the labels. "It's difficult to get someone to deliver on a Sunday."

"Well, open them up and see what they are."

Ron opened the first package, revealing a queen-sized mattress. "I think it's a bed. You and Dad didn't buy me one did you?" he asked.

"No," his mother said with a frown, "I wanted you to pay for one yourself since you 'lost' yours."

He opened the rest of the packages to reveal a nice wooden bed, stained mahogany. There was also a box with a black and green comforter in it. A note fell off the comforter as he picked it up and floated to the floor. He picked it up and read it, cracking a smile.

_Hey Tiger,_

_Figured I didn't need this anymore since I recently acquired a replacement. It's too nice to give to the henchmen and I wasn't going to throw it away so I figured I'd throw you a bone. You owe me one. I'm thinking steak this time._

_S_

Ron tucked the note in his pocket. "What was that note all about Ronald?" his mother asked.

"Just a note from Shelia, she must of felt bad that I lost my bed and sent me one," Ron said with a grin.

"Teenagers," his mother said, rolling her eyes, a hint of a smile on her face. Ron just shrugged his shoulders and began hauling the bed up the stairs. It was a fitting warm-up to his workout schedule he needed to return to. Yori would be expecting results and he did not want to displease her.

* * *

Henry Goh finished up his day at work as a mild mannered fast food restaurant manager and got into his blue sedan to head home. He drove to a small, secluded ranch home just off of Lake Go and pressed the button to operate the automatic garage door opener. When the door shut behind him the floor to the garage lowered down revealing a secret tunnel beneath the lake, leading to Go Tower's underground garage. He tuned into the police band radio to see if anything was happening that would need his attention was happening. _"Traffic stops, shoplifters, prostitutes, nothing that requires the attention of a SUPERhero," _he thought smugly. He pulled into the parking garage and parked his car. _"I see Mego isn't in, and the Wegos shouldn't be home from school for another 45 minutes, minimum. Time to indulge in a triple cheese pizza, all to my self!" _he thought with a smile. He entered the tower and made his way to the kitchen. He popped the pizza into the oven and set the timer before reaching for the remote. _"One hundred and fifty-two channels and nothing on," _he thought as he flipped through the channels. _"I'll just turn it on the news." _He settled back into the overlarge chair to wait for the pizza to finish cooking when he heard a thump from upstairs. _"What in blue blazes was that?"_ he thought. _"Mego and the Wegos can't be home already." _He fiddled with the remote, changing the TV setting to access the security cameras in the Tower. A growl escaped his throat when he noticed the cameras were all just white noise. He made his way over to the elevator and went to the second floor. Peering out into the hallway he found nothing out of place when his bedroom door slowly swung open and the light in the room shown into the otherwise dark hallway. "Come out evildoer and I shall go easy on you!" he announced in his best superhero voice. 

He waited a moment but received no response.

"Don't you know who I am? I am Hego!" he announced.

Still no response.

Shego rolled her eyes as she flipped off the computer she had used to turn off the security cameras. She glanced up to see how her project looked, stuck to the ceiling. Leaning back in the chair she grabbed a weightlifting trophy Hego had won in college off of a nearby shelf and lobbed it into the hallway. _"Like it was hard to win when you have super strength,"_ she thought.

Hego watched as his trophy sailed into the hallway, sticking into the drywall. "You're in trouble now!" he announced as he stomped down the hallway and stepped into the room, an exaggerated frown plastered on his face. "Shego!" he yelled, surprised.

"Duh. I thought I was just Susan Goh now though?" she snarked back.

Hego rolled up his sleeves. "I told you if I saw you again I would be putting you away," he said coldly.

"You don't want to do that Hego," Shego said, lifting her hands above her head in mock surrender. "Something might get broken." She smashed her hands down on the model he had been working on, shattering it.

Hego fumed. "You're holding my belongings hostage! This is low, even for you!" he spat.

"Low would be destroying them and not having the guts to do it to your face," she spat back. "Do you even know what you destroyed?"

"Nefarious devices of destruction no doubt," he replied smugly, folding his arms.

"So not moron. You should be labeled the criminal for what you took away from humanity," Shego said, pausing before continuing, "How about this? I will list off the items you destroyed and you tell me whether or not they were 'nefarious'. For each one you admit isn't 'nefarious' I will destroy one of your precious models. If I judge you to lie about it, or refuse to except it's valid good uses I will destroy three."

"That's preposterous! Why would I agree to that?"

"Look up Henry," Shego sneered flipping a little black box in her hand. "We could just go for them all at once."

Hego looked up at the ceiling. Stuck to the middle was a small bundle of wires spider webbing out. Each connected to a piece of putty, C-4 Hego assumed, on all of tiny cables holding up his models. "You wouldn't dare," Hego growled, a scowl on his face.

"Oh I would," Shego replied calmly. "How many do you think you could catch?"

"I won't ever forget this," Hego stated, straightening.

"Good, it's part of the lesson. I know you've heard it from Mom and Dad before, 'Don't do onto others what you wouldn't want done unto you.'," Shego snipped. "Now lets begin. The first item I will list would have saved people money, or at the very least been a boon to the emergency services industry. I start with plans for Dr. Drakken's fuel efficient hovercraft," Shego stated.

Hego thought for a moment, before grudgingly slouching. "Good," he said softly.

"Let's pick out something fitting shall we?" Shego asked looking around at the models. "Ah, a medivac helicopter." She aimed a finger at it and let loose with a small ball of plasma. It hit the helicopter and blew it into splinters of balsa wood. The engine bounced off of the bed's mattress and rolled to Hego's feet. "That wasn't bad Henry," at least you admitted to the good uses the technology has." She pondered for a moment, "Dr. Drakken's plans for synthodrones," she stated slowly.

"Evil to the core, no one should have access to a personal army," Hego stated, straightening his shoulders to a hard stance.

"No changing your mind then?" Shego asked mock sweetly.

"No," Hego stated firmly.

Shego lifted her hand and blasted a pair of F-14s that were being chased by a pair of Migs off the ceiling. "It lukes like de Russians are un vire today," she stated in a cheesy Russian accent. She blasted a Mig off of the ceiling for good measure.

"How does that fit into your rules?" Hego raged, clenching his fists at his side and taking a step forward.

Shego raised the remote and pointed it at the receiver on the ceiling. "Ut uh, you pretty much stated you'd refuse to listen to reason on that topic," she said calmly. "The synthodrones are perhaps the best of the inventions you destroyed the plans for. They are human in shape and dexterity, much stronger, and can be programmed to take on complicated tasks. They are good as henchmen, but they really shine in roles too dangerous for humans. Say.. Explosive ordnance disposal? Mining? Toxic chemical cleanup?" She waved a hand through the air. "Need I go on?"

Hego sighed and shook his head. "No."

"Very well then. Only four planes down so far. I think you may get out of this with half of you collection if you're smart," Shego stated, matter-of-factly.

"One was a helicopter," Hego muttered.

"Excuse me?" Shego asked, lighting up a hand and pointing at 'the red baron'.

Hego waved his hands in front of him. "Nothing, it was nothing," he said quickly.

This continued through several energy storage devices, a high yield laser, and the truth ray gun. Hego had wised up before then and decided to listen to reason with an open mind, for the sake of his collection, he only lost another five aircraft to Shego's blasts.

"We're down to the last one Henry," Shego stated sweetly. Her eyes narrowed menacingly. "And this is the one that really pisses me off. You destroyed the rejuvinator," her voice rose a little and shook in anger.

"What's a rejuvinator?" Hego enquired nervously, glancing up to take stock of the ceiling.

"It reverses the aging process in humans, and it's required to change someone who used it back to their proper age," she hissed.

"I thought you looked younger," Hego stated. "Pissed because you can't be 22 again? I can't feel sorry for this one, I'm not playing into your vanity," Hego said, glowering at her.

Shego blasted a C-130 off of the ceiling. "Oh, I'm really pissed because it affects me," she stated. "But it's good uses outweigh it's evil either way, even if you want to get all high horse on whether or not it's moral to live an unnaturally long life. Think of a person who has lost half their life to a coma, don't they deserve their youth? And what of the children inflicted with progeria, the disease that makes them age too quickly. Repeated doses of the rejuvinator could allow them to live a normal life." Shego blasted the red baron and his wing mate off of the ceiling. "No more allied planes going down today," she stated with a smirk.

"Now what?" Hego asked with a frown, shifting his weight from side to side in the doorway.

"Well, if your smart you'll keep the rest of your collection. It looks like roughly half," Shego stated with a shrug. "If you're your normal block-headed self then I will blow them all off the ceiling when you try to tackle me on my way out." She stood up. "I'm going to leave with my hovercraft from the roof. You will let me or I will destroy the rest of your models and kick your butt."

"How can I trust a villain? You'll just blow them up as you leave," Hego snarked.

"I'm shocked!" Shego stated in mock outrage. "I'm your sister, you don't trust me?" She paused a moment while he stood glaring at her. "If I just wanted to punish you for your mess I would have destroyed them all and left before you got home," Shego growled. "I wanted to rub your nose in it. I'm leaving either way, through you or past you. It's up to you just how many of your toys you have left when I go."

"You can't beat me, I'm nearly indestructible," Hego bragged.

"Maybe," Shego stated with a shrug, "but I don't need to beat you, I just need to get away." She sniffed the air, "Do I smell smoke?"

"Crap! My pizza!" Hego yelled slapping his forehead. "Oww!" he squealed as he rubbed the spot, his super strength was hard to control when he was upset.

"Well, your choice just got easier," Shego stated smugly. "Unless the superhero is going to let the Go Tower burn down."

Hego grunted. "You will pay for this someday," he stated gravely.

"Not today though," Shego said sweetly with a wave. Hego headed toward the back-up staircase while Shego stepped into the hallway. "Henry!" she called.

He turned around, "What?!"

"Catch!" she shouted and threw the remote to him.

He panicked and grabbed at it in his distressed state. The remote crumbled under the super strength in his hand. The bits of balsa wood Shego had built the fake remote from crumbled to the floor. "Son of a," he began.

Shego grinned wickedly. "Got you Doofus," she yelled as she turned and took off down the hallway to the stairs. Hego thought of giving chase, but he knew he wasn't nearly fast enough to catch her. He raced down the staircase to put out the fire in the oven before it spread.

* * *

Ron couldn't believe the week had gone by so quickly. It was already lunch on Friday. He grabbed a plate of something that seemed like it was trying to impersonate spaghetti, or chili, or something.. 

"Ron!" Kim shouted from a nearby table, waving him over.

He grabbed a carton of milk and headed over to the table, trying not to roll his eyes. "Hey guys," he stated with a smile to Kim, Erik, Erik's friend Ted, Monique, and Tara. He sat down in the only open spot, next to Tara.

"Hi Ron," Tara said with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Good thanks," Ron stated before shoveling a forkful of his lunch into his mouth. He gulped it down heavily as he noticed Kim glaring at him. "And you Tara?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, I'm a little bummed," she said, putting on a pout and moving her food around a bit. "I've got tickets for a movie Bonnie and I were going to see but she had to cancel. I don't want to go all alone."

"That tanks," Ron said, eating some more. "What movie is it?" he asked.

"Winter hilltops," she said with a smile. "It's supposed to be very good. I just wish I knew someone who'd want to go with me."

"I doubt you'll have a problem finding someone to go with you. You should ask at cheer practice," Ron suggested. "Ow!" Ron squeaked as a foot hit his shin. He looked up to see KP motioning towards Tara with her eyes.

"Did you hurt yourself Ronnie?" Tara asked.

"Just bit my lip, chewing too fast," Ron explained tersely.

Monique, who had been sitting quietly, rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ted, weren't you just telling me you didn't have anything going on tonight?" _"Don't even try to lie Baby boy, you were macking on me just a minute ago,"_ she thought narrowing her eyes at him.

Ted smiled, glad to be passed such a dish. "Yeah, I'm not busy. If you need someone to go with you Tara I'd be happy to escort you," he stated.

Kim shot Monique a dirty look before she pushed her plate forward and stood up. "Ron," she stated, a little tweaked. "I need to talk to you alone for a minute."

"Sure thing KP, just let me finish this up," Ron stated. He ate quickly, finishing his food off in half a minute before letting out a satisfied belch.

"Ron, that is nasty," Monique stated. Ron just grinned as he stood up and followed Kim out into the hallway.

"What's up KP?" he asked innocently.

"You know what's up Ronald," she stated. "I know that you aren't that clueless, you know Tara is trying to get you to ask her out."

"I know Kim, I just don't want to go out with her right now," Ron stated.

"What's wrong with Tara, she gorgeous and one of the nicest people in the school," Kim said throwing her hands up. "You were all about Tara until last week."

"Nothings wrong with Tara, I just don't feel like seeing anyone right now," Ron stated.

"I knew it, you are crushing on Shelia," she stated, using air quotes around her rival's alias.

"She was alright to be around, but I wouldn't say I'm crushing on her just because I don't want to see anyone right now," Ron said flatly.

"You are so crushing on her. Just go out on one date and let yourself have fun Ron, you will get over her," Kim smiled a little bit. "She's 500 miles of bad road, trust me on this one Ron. I know my foe."

"Using the Ron Man's phrases against him huh?" Ron joked lightly. "She's not as bad as you think."

Kim folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, "She isn't huh? Even if that were true, she's not right for you. Tara and you would be great together though."

"And you know that how?" Ron asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Who here has dated more? Trust me on this one," Kim stated.

"And what's your track record?"

Kim looked like he struck her for a moment. "I can't believe you said that Ron," she said before storming off.

Ron rushed to catch her; he walked briskly alongside her. "I'm sorry KP, that didn't come out right. Let me explain," Ron begged.

Kim stopped suddenly, looking her friend in the eye, still a little hurt. "This had better be good Ron."

"I know, I know. I didn't mean that you are a bad girlfriend and that's why your relationships haven't lasted or anything. Any guy would be lucky to have you. I just meant that you have made some mistakes along the way in choosing dates. Do I have to mention Walter Nelson?" Ron asked.

Kim grunted at this, still not convinced. "No," she stated flatly.

"I just want the chance to make my own mistakes, to choose who I'm going to date. To have my own successes and failures, to date who I find interesting. You don't always know what's best for me Kim," he said gently, looking into her eyes.

"Pinky Joe.." Kim stated softly.

"Huh?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Kim replied, "You just reminded me of a talk my dad and I had. She stood there thinking about what Ron had said for a moment. "So what kind of girl do you find interesting then?"

"I don't know," Ron said, blushing a little bit. "She'd have to been smart and independent, but she'd have to have a kind heart. Selfless would be a good word for it."

"Go on," Kim said, encouraging him.

"I'd want to be able to just be myself around her, not always be the perfect boyfriend, but to be able to just be me." He paused. "And it wouldn't hurt if she was pretty and athletic too," he stated, growing a little redder. "And long hair is a plus in my book."

"Tara fits a lot of those traits," Kim sighed, knowing it now was a losing battle.

"What's it going to take to reassure you?" Ron asked. _"I hate seeing her so worried, even over something so stupid," _he thought.

"Just one date, but you have to put yourself out there, no bombing it on purpose," Kim said thoughtfully. "And it doesn't have to be Tara, you can pick."

"OK, deal," Ron sighed. "I'll go out with the next girl that asks."

Kim tapped her finger to her chin. _"Shego fits some of those, but not all of them. I just have to find a girl that fits them better,"_ she thought. "OK, sorry to push you Ron, I just want you to be happy," Kim stated.

"It's all good KP," Ron replied. "Are we still on for Bueno Nacho?" Ron asked.

"Yep," Kim stated.

"Alright, I'm going to shoot some hoops with Felix until lunch is over. See ya!" Ron said, waving goodbye before heading towards the gym.

"Later Ron!" Kim replied as she went back into the lunchroom.

* * *

"Don't even be mad at me girlfriend, you were out of line dealing with him like that. Ron's my friend too I had to bail him out," Monique stated as she set her nachos on the table and sat down across from Kim. 

"I don't understand why he won't go out with Tara," Kim sighed. She reached out and picked up her lemonade, taking a drink before setting it down on the table and looking back up at Monique.

"Maybe she's just not right for him," Monique stated.

"She's close, he gave me his 'list'," Kim stated.

"Oh do tell," Monique said with a grin.

"Well he wanted the girl to be smart and independent, but put up with his goofiness," Kim started.

"Well Tara would put up with his goofiness," Monique started lightly.

"Yeah, well she fits everything else to a T," Kim stated.

"What's that? To like small, hairless rodents? Or cheese?" Monique asked, holding up a chip with a gob of cheese dripping from it.

"No!" Kim laughed. "He wants her to be smart, kind, pretty, athletic, and he'd prefer long hair."

Monique started laughing. "Oh no he didn't!" she exclaimed, holding her stomach.

"What?" Kim asked, puzzled.

"Who does that describe?" Monique asked. Kim looked puzzled for a moment. "Think about it girl," Monique stated, raising her eyebrows.

Kim thought for a moment looking at Monique, _"long hair, pretty, smart, independent, nice body, kind…" _Kim gasped, "How did I not see it before?" she exclaimed.

"I know, everyone's been betting on you two for ages," Monique said with a sad smile.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"You didn't think I was talking about you?" Monique asked slowly.

"Ah, no," Kim stated.

"Think about the list, and you've been tight like, forever girl," Monique said. "Who were you thinking about?"

"You," Kim stammered as Monique's jaw dropped.

"You think I would fit Ron's list?" Monique laughed. "You might be right Kim, but he doesn't fit mine."

"What is yours?" Kim asked.

"You'll know when I find him," Monique replied with a smirk, picking up another chip.

"You should give him a chance, at least go out on a date with him," Kim whined, putting on the Puppy Dog Pout.

Monique covered her eyes and held a hand out motioning for Kim to stop. "Not this time girl. And stop that, that just ain't right," she scolded.

The door dinged as Erik walked into the restaurant and sat down at the booth next to Kim. "What are we talking about today?" Erik asked good-naturedly.

"Saved by the bell!" Monique exclaimed, sitting up and uncovering her eyes.

"Ron's dating sitch," Kim sighed. "I might have to find someone else for Ron since he's dead set against Tara for some reason. Not that I'm getting any help from my friends." Kim pouted at Monique.

"I thought we covered that well enough girlfriend," Monique stated, staring down the pout. "And he might not be so dead set against her if you weren't pushing so hard."

"Hey, Ted is pretty darn happy about that. Brand new to the school and already has a date with the third prettiest girl in school," Erik stated.

"Whose the?" Kim started to ask before Erik silenced her with a peck on the lips.

"The two prettiest are already at the table with me," he said slyly.

Monique rolled her eyes as Kim giggled. The door to the restaurant rang again as Ron walked in. "Hey Ron," Monique said with a wave as he made his way over to the table.

"Hey guys. Did everyone get their food yet?" he asked.

"Naw, I have to order, I'll go up with you," Erik stated. "You ladies need anything?" he asked.

"No thanks," Kim stated as Monique shook her head. Kim sat quietly for a moment thinking about what Monique said while Ron and Erik got their orders and sat down.

Kim continued to eat slowly while watching Ron and Monique discussing the GWA matches taking place tonight. _"You know, they wouldn't make a bad couple," _Kim thought. _"But how to get them together?" _A smile slowly spread across her face as an idea formed in her head. "I have to use the bathroom," Kim mumbled as she got up from the booth and headed towards the back of the restaurant. She pulled out the Kimmunicator and hit the call button.

Wade's face blinked onto the screen. "Hey Kim, what's up?" he asked.

"I need you to get me four tickets to the GWA match in LA tonight as well as a ride for four," Kim whispered in the hall outside the bathroom.

"The ride will be easy, the French aeronautical firm I've been doing some work for is going international. They have to get a lot of airtime in before the FFA will allow them to go public. I don't know about the tickets though Kim, they're all sold out," Wade stated, tapping the keyboard. "Let me get a hold of some people and see what they can do."

"Thanks Wade, you rock!" Kim stated before she closed the connection and put away the device. She headed back over to the table and sat down. A few minutes later the Kimmunicator went off.

"Aww man!" Ron whined. "Always on a Friday night!"

"It's not like you got a hot date or anything," Monique mocked, elbowing him in the ribs.

"_Not yet,"_ Kim thought. "Go Wade," Kim said as she pulled out the Kimmunicator.

"I was able to get those tickets you asked for Kim," Wade stated. "Pain King was more than happy to help since you brought the Jackal back down to size. I will have a ride waiting at your house in one hour."

"You got tickets to GWA!" Monique squealed. "I guess you boys are going to have to find something to do tonight cause my girl and I are going to watch some wrestling!"

"Actually Monique, I'm taking Erik with my two tickets," Kim began, cracking a smile as Monique began to pout. "I don't know who Ron will be taking with his."

Monique narrowed her eyes at Kim. "You are unbelievable," she stated.

"I better call Felix if he's going to have time to get ready," Ron stated, trying to suppress a grin as he reached for his cell phone.

"Nooo!" Monique whined grabbing his arm. "Take me with you!" She looked up at him with big eyes, her head tucked down slightly, and her bottom lip stuck out and quivering just a little bit. The dreaded Puppy Dog Pout.

"Awww man. Kim why did you have to teach her that? It's my biggest weakness," Ron whined.

"Dude, that's everybody's weakness," Erik stated, covering his eyes.

A bead of sweat formed on Ron's forehead. "Gotta be strong, gotta be strong," he muttered, glancing over to Kim only to be hit with another full power pout. "Gah!"

"Remember that talk we had Ronnie?" Kim said baby-like while pouting.

Ron looked slightly down at Monique, still clutching his arm. "OK, I was going to invite you anyways! I was only playing around. Just, just stop doing that," Ron said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes!" Monique yelled, bouncing up and down. "Gonna watch Pain King lay some smack down!"

"It's a date then," Kim stated smugly.

"No it's just two mutual friends that happen to be of opposite genders going out and enjoying a sporting event together," Monique stated, matter-of-factly.

"Ah, actually I kinda need this to be a date," Ron said nervously.

"What?" Monique exclaimed. "Why?"

"Cause KP said that she'd stop trying to set me up if I went out on just one date," Ron stated.

"Oh really," Monique said, putting her hands on her hips. "Ron Stoppable," she started.

"Yes?" he asked slowly.

"You've got yourself a date," Monique stated as she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the exit. "Take me home so I can get ready, we've got less than an hour!" she exclaimed.

Kim smiled as Monique led Ron out the doorway. _"They just needed a gentle nudge," _she thought. _"Maybe I can nudge a little more tonight.."_

* * *

Shego was tapping her fingernails on the tabletop in the main lab, watching Drakken putter around. She glanced at the clock, only a few minutes left until quitting time for the weekend. "Dr. D., I'm just going to take off now. See you on Monday," she stated, pushing the chair out and standing. 

"It's Friday? Dr. Drakken asked. "Alright, karaoke night!" he exclaimed.

"Woo hoo," Shego stated sarcastically, twirling a finger in the air. "See you later."

"You can't leave Shego," Dr. D. stated.

"What? What part of 'I have weekends off' don't you understand?" Shego asked gruffly, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. We're launching the satellite this weekend," Dr. Drakken stated, wringing his hands a bit nervously. "So you're on the clock all weekend."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!" she asked angrily.

"I wasn't sure I'd finish up today," Drakken whined. "But now that everything is ready we can't waste any time launching, right after karaoke night."

"Ugh, fine, but I'm getting overtime for this," Shego growled. "I have some stuff to do before we head out," she stated as she left the room. _"I better send off Ron's bed and my new clothes to storage in case the lair blows up," _she thought. _"One of the downsides to a life on the run, you lose things that are important to you."_

* * *

Ron pulled the truck up in front of Kim's house and parked at the curb. He pulled at the collar on the shirt he was wearing. They had stopped at his house where Monique picked out something for him to wear. She insisted he change if he was going to go out with her. In this case 'something' consisted of a pullover shirt with buttons at the top, a pair of slacks, and his one pair of dress shoes he had around for temple. He walked around the truck and opened the door for Monique. She stepped out, straightening her clothes. 

"You don't have to get doors or chairs for me or anything," Monique stated. "I can handle them on my own."

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it," Ron stated. "I'm trying to treat this like a real date."

"Uh huh, just don't turn Roman on me," she stated.

"Roman?" Ron questioned.

"Yeah, Roman hands, Roman arms," she said, raising her eyebrows.

Ron chuckled. "Gotcha," he stated with a smile. They walked up to the house as they heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter approaching. Kim and Erik met them on the stoop as not one, but two mini helicopters landed in the driveway.

Kim smiled, "Our rides are here," she stated.

"Aww man! Not the remote unmanned helicopter again! This tanks! Couldn't we get a GJ VTOL or a ride on a jet or something?" Ron whined.

"Unmanned?" Erik and Monique both stated nervously.

"Don't be such babies," Kim stated. "They're perfectly safe, Ron and I rode in one in France last year."

At that Erik straightened and gulped down his fear. "Alright, let's load up then," he stated. He grabbed the packs Kim and he had carried out with them and put them in the lead chopper.

Ron scowled briefly as he saw Erik with his own pack. He walked back to the truck and grabbed his mission pack from behind the seat and took it to the second helicopter. "Keep your Kimmunicator out Kim, we can talk if we need to," Ron stated. He held his hand out to help Monique into the helicopter.

"We'll be there in about an hour and a half," Kim yelled over the wind of the rotors. "You two don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Kim grinned as Ron blushed and Monique shot her a look that could have frozen water. They loaded up and were off.

The helicopters took off and headed to the west, shuttling their passengers to their destination. About ten minutes into the flight Kim pulled a laptop computer out of her backpack and began typing. A few minutes later her Kimmunicator beeped. "What's the sitch Wade?" Kim asked nervously.

"What do you think you're doing Kim?" Wade asked sternly.

"Umm, just trying to see what Ron and Monique are up to," Kim said blushing.

A knowing grin grew over Wade's face. "I can understand that. I'm going to lock you out of all essential computer functions so you don't crash the system. Literally," Wade stated, serious again.

"Thanks Wade," Kim stated blushing slightly as Erik tried, and failed, to suppress his laughter. "What's so funny Erik?" Kim demanded as she killed the comm. link.

"Nothing, nothing," he said with a smile.

"What?" she asked seriously as she pulled out the laptop and finished hacking into the onboard camera on the helicopter Ron and Monique were on.

"You're getting reamed by a 12 year old," Erik chuckled.

"Shush or I'll sic him on you," Kim teased. "He could clear out your school lunch account in a heartbeat."

Erik held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, I gotcha," he stated with a grin. "So why are you spying on them anyways?"

"Just making sure that they make the most out of their date. If this doesn't go well I don't think that Monique will give Ron another chance. She hasn't for any other guy she's dated," Kim stated as she brought up the video feed. Monique and Ron were sitting on the bench seat about a foot apart, looking out their respective windows. "Time to bring the two of them closer together," she stated as she typed for a few minutes. She growled as she grew frustrated before figuring out how to hack into the climate control. It was set at 70 degrees. "Let's see how they like 64," she said with a smile. She set the laptop down and leaned into Erik, watching the temperature slowly drop in the other helicopter.

"It's getting a little cold in her isn't it?" Monique asked.

"A little bit," Ron replied. He reached around the seat and pulled a wool blanket out of his backpack. He shook it out and draped it over the two of them. "That better?" he asked.

"A little bit, thanks," she replied. It wasn't long before the two of them began to scoot closer, the warmth coming off of each other drawing them together.

In the other helicopter Kim grinned, looking up at Erik from his shoulder. "See? Who rules?" she asked.

Erik smiled back down at her. "You do," he answered, giving her a peck on the nose. The comfort of their shared warmth caused her to doze off until Erik woke her up as they began the descent into L.A.. "Check them out," Erik stated, pointing to the screen.

Kim looked down at the laptop setting on the floor. The screen showed Ron and Monique sitting close together as they watched T.V. on Ron's Kimmunicator. It was obvious they were watching wrestling they were both hooting and hollering at the screen. "I just wish I could hear them," Kim stated. "I'll have to talk to Wade about that on the way back, maybe he can open a one way comm. through the Kimmunicator."

After the chopper landed on the roof of the stadium they all got out and stretched.

"Wade said someone is going to meet up at the stairs with our tickets," Kim stated.

"VIP parking. Booyah!" Ron exclaimed.

"Let's go VIP boy," Monique said, rolling her eyes. Ron, Erik, and Kim followed her as she practically skipped to the stairwell in the center of the roof. As promised a roadie was waiting for them.

"Miss Possible and Mr. Toppable, the King sends his regards," he stated in an East coast accent. "Luckily he was able to get 4 seats at ringside together."

"We've got ringside seats," Monique squealed, taking the tickets. "Cool, right next to the aisle!" She handed the other two over to Kim.

Kim smiled at her friend's excitement. There was no way Ron could bomb this date; Monique would remember it forever. "Thanks, Bob," Kim said, reading the man's ID tag.

"My pleasure. Follow me, I'll escort you to your seats," Bob stated. "We'll be going in through the back. It's close to show time so we don't have time to stop for autographs."

"Booyah!" Ron exclaimed. "Backstage access!" Monique giggled in agreement as Erik chuckled at their antics and Kim rolled her eyes.

They stopped at a table with snacks and drinks on it and grabbed a couple of sodas for the show before being led down to their seats. The place was packed and filled with energy and noise. Ron and Monique took the seats by the bottom of the ramp while Kim and Erik got chairs a few seats further in. "Isn't this awesome!" Monique squealed. "I've never been to such a large event before!"

"Yeah," Ron said loudly so she could hear him over the crowd. "This is a even bigger than 'Mayhem in Middleton'!"

They joined the crowd in cheering as the announcer opened the event and introduced the first wrestlers. All of the matches were great and the crowd was surging with energy. The main event was a no-holds- barred match-up being held to determine the number one contender for the title. Mac Truck squared off against The Titan in the ring for what quickly turned into a brutal brawl, both in the ring and around ringside. As the men were in the ring clinched up a boom rang out from the speakers and the sounds of a growling punk rock song began. Boos sounded throughout the crowd as a large man appeared at the top of the ramp and began striding down to the ring.

"Crowbar," Ron and Monique said together, too excited to even 'jinx' each other. He was a newer wrestler that was quickly rising through the ranks, beating all who came up against him. He ran towards the ring as the other wrestlers warily backed away from each other. The ref was watching the ring with his back to the bottom of the ramp when crowbar grabbed his ankles and yanked, pulling him out of the ring, his head bouncing off of the mat as he was dragged out, unconscious. The crowd booed. Crowbar jumped up into the ring and looked over the two other wrestlers. He nodded to Mac Truck and motioned towards The Titan, smacking his fist into his hand. The two of them ganged up on the The Titan, making short work of him and throwing him out of the ring. Crowbar gave Mac a high-five before he raised up Mac's hand to signal his victory. Monique and Ron were booing with the crowd when Crowbar suddenly pivoted and brutally closelined Mac, slamming him to the mat, unconscious. Crowbar pulled the ref up into the ring and began trying to wake him, Suddenly the speaker blared to life once more.

"Here comes the champ!" Monique squealed as Pain King's music sounded over the speakers

"Only 'cause Steel Toe retired," Ron muttered.

"Yeah, well he's the best there is now," she mock-growled with a wink and a smirk. Crowbar jumped out of the ring to meet Pain King at the bottom of the ramp. The crowd was cheering Pain King and booing Crowbar all at once. Someone lobbed a drink at Crowbar from the balcony but their aim was a little off.

"Lookout!" Ron stated as he saw it heading straight for Monique. He wrapped her in his arms, and spun around in the closely packed quarters and leaning forward, effectively 'dipping' her. An annoyed look came over Monique's face as she briefly thought Ron was putting some sort of lame moves on her. The drink splattered loudly on his back, soaking him but sparing Monique from all but a few droplets. "Aww man," he whined as he stood up and stepped back the little bit he could. "I liked this shirt."

"Are you alright Ron?" Monique gushed, grabbing his shoulders and looking at his face.

"Yeah, it's just a little cold," he said, grimacing in disgust. Pain King crashed into Crowbar at the bottom of the ramp. "Get him PK!" Ron yelled, turning to the fight.

Monique checked Ron's back to make sure he wasn't cut or anything before joining him in cheering for her favorite wrestler. Pain King was getting the better of it and decked Crowbar one more time before rolling him into the ring. He took off his crown and championship belt and put them down on the ring apron before peeling off his shirt to catcalls from the ladies. He jumped up on the apron and climbed into the ring after Crowbar. Pain King and Crowbar were giving the crowd quite the show when Pain King knocked him down at the edge of the mat by Monique and Ron. Crowbar grabbed the championship belt from ringside and rolled over, clobbering Pain King as he dove on top of him. Pain King grasped his head, rolling out of the ring and stumbling around as Crowbar crawled over to Mac Truck, who was just starting to stir, and covered him, shaking the ref that was still unconscious next to him. The ref came to and saw a man being covered. He slapped down a hand for the one count. Pain King had recovered and was climbing back into the ring as the ref slapped his hand down the second time. Mac Truck tried unsuccessfully to kick out as Pain King dove for Crowbar. The ref's hand struck the mat a third time just before they collided. Pain King and Crowbar stood up at the same time. Crowbar swung his giant fist at Pain King and Pain King blocked it and kicked him in the gut before scooping him up into a modified pile driver, the King's Crown. Crowbar was laid out in the middle of the ring as Pain King climbed out of the ring. He picked his crown off the edge of the mat and put it on and scooped up his shirt and belt. On the way out he stopped in front of Ron and Monique.

"You're the kid that helped Kim with Jackie. Don Toppable, right?" Pain King asked.

"Ron Stoppable, that's me," Ron stated.

"Nice move there with the soda," he stated. "Here, you can towel off with this." He dropped his T-shirt in Ron's hands as Monique squealed and nearly fainted. He turned and walked up the ramp, pumping his arms and generally celebrating.

"OMGOMGOMG! Ron, you've got Pain King's Shirt!" Monique squealed.

"Yeah, coolio!" Ron exclaimed. He peeled off the shirt he was wearing and wrung it out before slipping Pain King's shirt on. The post match announcements wrapped up and people started leaving the arena. Bob walked out from one of the back entrances to collect them once the crowd had thinned a little bit.

* * *

Agent Spade rubbed her forehead, trying in vain to get rid of her stress induced headache before she reported in. She composed herself for her conversation with Dr. Director. She hated this game she had to play. _"I'm such a tool,"_ she thought. _"I'd just like to hit the reset button and start all over_." The laptop computer fired up and Dr. Director's face appeared. 

"You have a report Agent Spade?" Dr. Director asked.

"Yes. The plan launches tomorrow, coordinates unknown. Tracking frequency is four 76.62," Agent Spade stated.

"Do you anticipate any difficulties?" Dr. Director asked.

"It shouldn't be anymore than they are used to handling. Their new recruit may get himself into trouble, but they are good enough to cover him," Agent Spade replied. "Dr. Drakken has been getting smarter though, it's best to be prepared."

"Good. I don't want a repeat of the Diablo disaster. Drakken nearly succeeded that time. If we get another close call like that we will have to resort to more drastic measures. Are we clear?" Dr. Director asked.

"Crystal," Agent Spade replied.

"Good," Dr. Director stated with a rare smile. "You look good, I trust you're week off went well."

"Everything went well, Ma'am," Agent Spade stated, unconsciously curling the corners of her mouth up.

"Excellent. Report in immediately if there are any more developments," Dr. Director stated before signing off. Agent Spade signed off and erased the log before tucking the computer away. It was one of the few times a conversation with Dr. Director improved her mood rather than soured it.

* * *

"I can't believe we got to go backstage!" Monique said excitedly as the four of them made their way to the helicopters. "My brother is going to be so jealous!" 

"This trip ruled," Ron stated, pumping his hand in the air. "And Pain King even signed the T-shirt he gave me," Ron said, looking down at it.

"I am so getting that shirt off of you when we get back to Middleton," Monique squealed.

Kim grinned at the comment. "So I take it you liked your date since you're already planning on stripping him when we get home." Kim said with a smirk.

Monique and Ron blushed stepping apart a little bit. "No!" she laughed. "That is so not what I meant."

"Ah, yeah," Ron stammered while Erik and Kim just laughed along with Monique.

"We'll see you when we land," Monique stated with a grin, pulling Ron into the helicopter. Kim just shook her head happily as Erik and her climbed into their helicopter. Kim scrambled into her seat and scooped up the laptop, typing in her password and restarting the video feed hack while Erik contacted Wade. Wade set the autopilot and the helicopters took off and headed toward Middleton.

Monique and Ron got cozy in their seats as their helicopter followed behind Kim's. They made small talk for the first half an hour before running out of safe things to talk about. After a few awkward moments Monique piped up, her need to know what was going on with her friends over coming the reluctance to broach certain issues. "So why didn't you want to go out with Tara tonight?" she asked.

"I have a lot going on right now," Ron stated offhandedly.

"Come on Ron," Monique chided. "I know you better than that, and just so you know, so does Kim. You are the king of free time."

"You may have been right before Monique, but I don't have as much of it now," Ron replied. "I've been training for missions pretty hard and have actually been doing my homework."

"I know Ron, Kim told me," Monique stated. "But you've been spending a lot less time with her. And there is no way a red-blooded American teenage boy is not interested in someone like Tara. Unless you're batting for the other team."

Ron blushed. "No. I'm not gay Monique."

"I wouldn't judge you if you were Ron."

"That's good to know Monique, but I'm not," Ron said with a smile.

"Then you're crushing on someone. Kim thinks it's Shego," Monique said lightly.

"She told you Shelia is Shego?" Ron exclaimed.

"Baby boy, she tells me everything," Monique stated with a smirk. "Even about the time you two switched bodies."

Ron blushed even harder. "This could be entering the state of TMI," Ron stated.

"So you are crushing on Shego?" Monique asked. "At least you aren't crushing on Kim anymore." Ron looked up at her with a sad half-smile. "Are you?" she asked again.

"I don't know Monique. I don't know what I'm feeling anymore," Ron stated. "And I don't want to add anymore girls to the mix, I can't keep my feelings straight about the two I like now."

"I feel ya," Monique stated.

"Why did I have to become popular with the ladies now instead of a couple of months ago?" Ron asked, exasperated.

"Better now then never," Monique chuckled.

"I suppose you're right," Ron said dryly. "Would it matter if I'm crushing on either of them? I mean Kim's taken, and like you said before, she's happy. I don't want to be the one to ruin it, not to mention our friendship. And Shego is on the run, that's not conducive to a good relationship, not to mention that my best friend hates her."

"If finding love were easy everyone would do it," Monique stated wistfully.

"Come on Mon, you can't tell me you can't get a boyfriend," Ron stated.

"Don't even act the fool Ron, of course I could," Monique stated. She got a sultry look on her face as she looked at Ron and her voice turned a little husky as she spoke. "I bet I could even get you to forget about your other girl problems," she said leaning close. She pulled back and sighed. "But that's just not the way I am."

"What does that mean?" Ron asked thinking for a moment. "You like girls?"

"No!" Monique laughed. "I don't play second fiddle. If I'm not number one then I'm not on the list. Besides, if you could forget about your feelings because I was leading you on what's going to happen when someone prettier comes along?" she asked.

"I always knew you were a smart girl. I didn't know you were smart about relationships too," Ron stated.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Monique said with a smirk.

"I know, I'm not trying to get anywhere," Ron said.

"Good. Now that we got that straight, what are you going to do?" Monique asked.

Ron shook his head slowly. "I don't know," he stated. "I'll be going to the Yamanouchi school in Japan for a summer exchange program for a little while. I'll be leaving right after school lets out. I might just let things coast until then, maybe I can clear my head there."

"Isn't that where Yori is from?" Monique asked.

Ron chuckled. "Yep. No worries there though. Remember Hirotaka?" he asked.

"Yeah, he was one of the few guys I have ever had a crush on," she replied. _"Though I may be in for another,"_ she thought.

"Yori and him are going steady. It's pretty serious too. She mentioned something about them being destined for one another. That's pretty significant where they are from," Ron said with a smile, happy that his friend could find such happiness.

"Just don't let your life pass you by because you're too afraid to act," Monique stated.

"I can deal with the fear Monique, I do that all the time. I just don't know what I should do."

"Do what makes you happy," Monique said, placing a hand on his and giving it a squeeze.

"I suppose you're right. So what about you? Who are you crushing on?" Ron asked, trying to flip the tables.

"Oh no Baby Boy, we ain't even going there," Monique said, holding a up a hand in defense.

"Aww, come on Monique!" Ron exclaimed. "You need to take some of your own advice."

"So, can you believe that Crowbar is getting the title shot against Pain King?" Monique asked, clearly ending that line of conversation.

"Well, it was a no-holds-barred match. And the ref did count the pin," Ron stated with a smile. The conversation turned to wrestling and other things until the choppers landed in Kim's driveway.

Kim flipped the laptop closed. _"I really need to learn how to read lips,"_ she thought. _"Too bad Wade wouldn't let me hack into Ron's Kimmunicator. He picked a great time to grow a backbone about being a party to spying on friends. 'I should earn my hacks' indeed." _"Call me tomorrow Monique, I want to hear all about your date!" Kim exclaimed, giving Monique a hug before moving to Ron and hugging him.

"Alright girlfriend. We can talk about it over ice cream at the mall before my shift starts. I'll call you tomorrow morning," Monique replied.

"See ya later KP!" Ron called. "Later Erik."

"Bye Ron," Erik said with a grin. You two be careful on the way home." Kim slapped his chest and shook her head, walking towards the house.

Ron threw his bag in the back of the truck and opened the door for Monique, closing it after she stepped into the cab and sat down. They parked in front of her house and Ron opened her door for her. "Hold on a second Monique," he stated, rummaging through his bag.

"What? You think you're getting a kiss goodnight or something?" she joked. "Cause if that's the case you got another thing coming.

Ron pulled out a mission shirt and changed into it. He turned back around and held out the shirt for her. "I'm more of a Steel Toe fan anyways," he said with a sheepish grin.

"I told you I'd be getting this shirt off of you," Monique stated. She smiled and took the shirt, stepping in to give Ron a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You have been working out haven't you?" she said as she felt the hard muscles that she had seen as he changed just a moment ago.

"Oh stop it Monique," Ron said with a grin, hugging her back. "It's just a shirt, and if giving it to you makes you that happy I'd give you a hundred of them if I had them."

"You really are a sweet guy," she stated. He walked her to the door, she looked up into his eyes thinking for a moment. "Come up to my room. I have something I want to give you," she stated.

"Monique, you don't have to give me anything," Ron stated. "And I'm not going to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

She shoved him a little. "Not that you moron!" she chuckled. "Come on. It's not a request."

"Aren't your parents going to throw a fit?" Ron asked.

"It's just my mom and my brother. She lets me do what I want for the most part, but I don't know how she'll react to this."

"Oh," Ron said as she opened the door.

As Monique said her mother looked up from the couch, the blinds she had been peeking through swishing back into place. "I hope your date went well?" her mother asked.

"It was the best I've had," Monique stated with a smile.

Her mother smiled right back, clearly happy. "I've heard a lot of good things about you Ron, so I'll trust you'll behave yourselves. You two don't stay up too late," she stated. "And leave the bedroom door open. I'll be checking on you."

Monique laughed a little. "Alright mom. Ron's going to be leaving in a little while," she stated. Monique led Ron up to her room and motioned for him to sit on the edge of the bed. She got down on her knees and pulled a box out from under the bed and got back up. She set it between the two of them as she sat next to him and popped off the lid. "These are pictures I have from the dances at Middleton High," she stated.

Ron looked into the box. "Wow, there are a lot of pictures with Shego in them," Ron stated, picking up a small stack.

"Yeah, they were going to get thrown away so I took them. I kinda thought you might want them someday," Monique stated. "If you dig further down you'll see some from the dances you and Kim have gone to as well. And a few from the past two Middleton Days Festivals." Monique paused for a moment. "You can take what you want," Monique said. I know that Kim didn't give you any pictures of Shego, she doesn't want to encourage you. But maybe these will help you sort out your feelings."

"Wow Monique. Thanks. I thought I was going to have to ask around to try and find just one," Ron stated, giving her a hug.

She smiled widely. "No big." They spent the next half an hour looking through the pictures. Ron ended up leaving with one of Kim and him dancing that he had never seen before as well as a few of him and Shego at the Spirit Dance.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19: The Desperation of Madmen

Author's Notes: Finally, another chapter makes it's way onto . I would like to thank Ghostwhiter for betaing, it's helped alot. As usual, italicized text is active thought. I don't own Kim Possible or any characters associated, they are owned by Disney. 

* * *

Kim and Monique sat at a table in the food court at the mall

Kim and Monique sat at a table in the food court at the mall. Monique had a small vanilla cone while Kim was eating a large banana split. "You better never stop going on missions or you are going to have to buy a new wardrobe with the way you eat girl," Monique stated, pointing the ice cream cone at Kim.

"I have to have them when Ron isn't around, he even freaks about bananas. You aren't going to change the subject that easy on me though Monique," Kim said with a grin, scooping up a chunk of banana. "How did you like your date with Ron?"

"It was nice," Monique admitted. "It's not like you could lose, taking us to a wrestling match. Not to mention it is Ron, how comfortable are you around him?"

"Completely comfortable, what does that have to do with anything?" Kim asked.

"Why are you comfortable around him?" Monique asked in reply.

"'Cause we've been best friends since forever. He's, well, Ron," Kim replied. "That really doesn't answer my question."

Monique smiled. "Trust Kim, you trust him. Well maybe not around your food, but still, you know he's a good person," Monique stated. "I'm comfortable around him too, so I wasn't nervous or anything. I could just be myself and have fun."

"I can understand that," Kim said, a little envious that Monique was also so relaxed around her best friend. "So you gonna date him again?"

Monique ate a little of her ice cream as she studied Kim's face. "Not right now, maybe someday though," she stated. "He has a lot of things to sort out right now."

"I can't believe he's crushing on Shego," Kim growled, angrily scooping up some ice cream.

"Kinda makes you wonder, why is he crushing on her?" Monique asked.

"I don't know. He has a big heart and she definitely has some baggage," Kim said, waving the spoon.

"Is that all it is?" Monique asked. "I mean the Queen B has a lot of baggage and could use someone like Ron, but he isn't trying to woo her is he?"

"No, but why then?" Kim asked.

"His list, remember?" Monique stated.

"Yeah, you fit on it perfectly," Kim said.

Monique blushed. "I don't know about that, but either way he's already crushing the two of you so I'm not getting involved," she stated.

"What do you mean 'two of us'?" Kim asked, feigning ignorance.

"You know that he likes you don't you?" Monique asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He should, we're best friends," Kim replied, starting to blush a little.

"Girl, you know that's not what I mean," Monique stated flatly. "You've known it since the modulator incident, and until Erik showed up you were starting to feel the same way."

Kim blushed bright red. "Things change Monique," she said softly, looking into her banana split.

"They do Kim, just make sure while they're changing that you're being a good friend or you might lose him," Monique said. She finished up her cone, brushing the crumbs off of her fingers before standing.

"I'm trying Monique," Kim said, looking up with teary eyes. "I just don't want him getting hurt. Shego's dangerous."

"I'm not saying to try to set them up or anything. Just quit trying to set him up with people and be there for him when he needs you," Monique stated.

Kim looked down at her food, suddenly not hungry. "What do I do then?" she asked.

"Chin up girlfriend," Monique stated, putting a hand on Kim's shoulder. "Just be his friend." She straightened up. "I hate to run right now, but I have to start my shift. We'll talk at school tomorrow."

Kim looked up at Monique as she waved to her and left for work. Kim picked up the tray with her food on it and dumped the remainder in the trash before leaving.

* * *

"You had better be paying me double time for starting a scheme on a Saturday," Shego groused at Dr. Drakken.

"Ummm…not to worry Shego. You'll have all the money you want when we finally take over the world," Dr. Drakken stated nervously. He finished putting together the handheld remote, constructed mainly from a GPS unit, and held it in the air triumphantly. "In just a few hours we will launch the satellite and use it to bend the world to our whim!"

Shego rolled her eyes before spotting a stack papers sitting on the workbench, the glossy cover of a 'Villianess' Digest' sticking out amongst them. She walked over and sorted through the pile of mail, taking her magazine and a manila envelope out. "Just how long were you going to wait before you decided to tell me that I have mail?" she growled at Drakken.

"Umm eh heh…oops. Sorry about that, I must've forgotten. So busy with the project you see," Dr. Drakken stated, picking up a wrench and turning on a bolt. _"Damn it, I wanted to see what was in that envelope," _he thought, grimacing slightly.

Shego shot him a look that could freeze water. "I wonder what this could be?" she pondered aloud as she picked up the manila envelope.

"I was a bit curious about that myself," Drakken muttered as Shego walked away and began opening it. Drakken turned around and began typing away at the computer, to turn the cameras to focus on Shego.

"Nu uh," Shego muttered as she shot a bolt of plasma down near Drakken's feet. He took the hint and went back to double-checking the satellite. Shego opened the envelope and pulled the contents out. A smile came over her face as she flipped through the pictures that Ron sent her. She pulled out the note and read it.

_Shego, _

_Thanks for the bed. I think that I got the better end of the deal though; it sure is nice. I thought that you might like to have copies of these from the prom. Thanks for sticking around after we weren't stuck anymore. Anyways, I'm sure I'll see you soon. Drakken hasn't launched a plan in a while so we're probably due. _

_See you soon!_

Ron

Drakken looked up to see her ignite the note and tuck something away in her pocket on her ankle. He growled slightly as he went over to the lunchroom where the henchmen were seated, folding what appeared to be aluminum foil. Every once and a while one of them would put the folded foil on their heads, checking the fit. Drakken was watching the henchmen's progress while muttering under his breath to himself, "This time. Yes…yes, this time for sure." Shego walked up and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and scream. "What did we say about sneaking up on people?" he groused.

Shego ignored his question. "What are they doing?" she whispered, watching what looked like monkeys trying to figure out a crossword puzzle.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you," Dr. Drakken stated with a hint of a strange smile. He handed Shego a roll of aluminum foil. "I printed out directions on a wonderful web page for parents, start folding one up for yourself."

Shego looked at the aluminum foil skeptically. "Have you completely lost it?" she asked. Drakken let out a loose cackle in response before walking away wringing his hands and muttering once more. Shego watched him go. _"Maybe he really has lost it,"_ she thought with mild concern.

* * *

Wade sat at his terminal playing Everlot while a few of the subroutines he had written worked in the background monitoring the greater Middleton area. He had his fingers into everything, monitoring open transmissions from cell phones, police band radios, weather stations, seismographs, and more. He looked up as an icon flashed in the upper right hand corner, denoting unusual phenomenon. The weather station near the Middleton Dam had registered a few moments of intense wind and temperatures well above normal before returning to previous readings. He checked systems around the area, pinging the nearby cell phone tower. The signal was higher than normal; something was amplifying the signal. _"What could do that?" _He thought for a second, _"A large hunk of metal? Maybe the hoverlair?"_ He quickly hacked into the hydroelectric dam's main computer and noticed fluxuations in the output of the generators. _"Something is definitely wrong there. Better tell Kim to be on standby." _He hit the call button dedicated to Kim and Ron's Kimmunicators.

"What's the sitch Wade?" Kim said as she grabbed her Kimmunicator out of her purse. Erik and her were on their way to the YMCA to swim, Erik's idea to see Kim in her swimsuit.

"Just a second Kim, I'm waiting for Ron to pick up so I don't have to say this twice," Wade replied. Ron picked up a few seconds later.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Ron asked, as the split screen popped up showing Wade on one side, Kim and Erik on the other.

"I noticed something odd going on at the Middleton hydroelectric dam. I think it might be Drakken's hoverlair," Wade stated. "I'm going to send out a drone I've been working on and see if I can confirm it."

"Alright Wade. What do we have for a ride?" Kim asked.

Wade typed at the computer for a few seconds. "Take Ron's truck, I've downloaded a map to the location into the GPS and it has a magnetic grapple that my come in handy."

Ron nodded. "Where should I pick you guys up from?" he asked.

"Meet us at my house Ron, we should be there in five minutes," Kim said before breaking the connection so she could drive.

"Thanks Wade," Ron stated before hanging up and getting up from Felix's couch. "You're lucky I have to go, I was about to lay the smack down on you!" Ron stated to Felix enthusiastically.

"What?!" Felix exclaimed. "You need to look at the screen again, I was kicking your can!"

"That's when the Ron-man shines!" Ron said with a grin.

"Well don't get beat up too much before you decide to shine on this mission OK?" Felix chided.

"Alright, I'll be careful," Ron stated as he slipped on his shoes and headed out the door.

Ron had just finished changing in the spare bathroom at Kim's just as Erik and her were getting out of her Ford. Kim popped the trunk and they raced into the house to change.

"Get our packs into your truck will ya?" Kim asked quickly as she ran up the steps.

"Sure thing KP!" Ron hollered as he jogged to the car and quickly loaded their gear. A few minutes later Kim and Erik ran out of the house and the jumped into the truck. Ron pulled away after they buckled up.

Kim hit the button on the in-dash Kimmunicator to page Wade. "Wade, do we have an update yet?" Kim asked.

Wade's face flashed up on the screen. "Yeah, my drone just crashed into something. It hit an invisible wall, it must be Drakken's hoverlair," Wade stated.

"So how are we going to get inside of a lair we can't see?" Erik asked.

"I'll figure something out by the time you guys get there," Wade stated, figiting a little. "In the meantime, I'll contact GJ."

"Alright Wade," Kim said. "Any idea what Drakken is up to?"

"No, I checked on the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer and they said it is in a secure location. That's the only thing that Drakken has tried to steal lately," Wade responded.

"Shego did grab Dementor's mask as we got Bondo balled," Ron added.

"I wonder what that's about." Erik stated.

"I don't really know," Wade replied. "If Drakken wanted it then it probably wasn't just a part of the costume. Perhaps it has circuitry in it like the silly hats Drakken made."

"Maybe that's what makes him talk so loud!" Ron exclaimed.

"I doubt it Ron," Kim sighed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever it is we'll find out when we get there."

"Right," Wade replied. "I'll get to work on a solution to the invisibility problem."

The screen in the truck turned back into a map leading them toward the Middleton Dam. After several miles of driving along back roads the GPS flashed an arrow telling them to turn down an old logging road through the woods. Ron put the truck in four-wheel drive and drove down the trail. A few turns later the woods on either side of them began to thin before opening up to blue sky in front of them. Ron jammed on the brakes skidding to a stop a few feet before the gorge opened up in front of them providing a gorgeous view of the river flowing rapidly below. The water from the dam a little to the right of them cascaded down some 80 feet to crash into the river below.

"It's a great view, though I wish the Wade would have warned us about the cliff," Ron stated with a slightly shaky voice.

"Yeah," Erik added, removing his hands from the dash, his face a little pale.

"We'll have to mark this spot on the map," Kim stated with a sigh, laying a hand on Erik's arm. "It'd be a nice place for a picnic." Erik and Ron's heads swiveled towards her, surprised by her Kimposure.

"Umm, head in the game Kim?" Ron said, reaching forward and hitting the call button for Wade.

"Hey guys, I see you're there," Wade stated.

"Do you have a solution to the cloaking problem?" Kim asked.

"Well, the best I can come up with is an estimate on the distance to the hover lair based on the fluctuations of the power output from the lair's presence using the drone's crash as a baseline," Wade stated. "Ron's truck is equipped with a larger version of your grapple gun, with interchangeable grapples."

"OK, how do I make it go-go," Ron asked with his finger up to his chin, looking over all of the buttons under the dash cover.

"I can activate it remotely, we'll use a magnetic grapple," Wade stated, typing furiously. "You might want to set the parking brake Ron."

"This isn't going to pull my truck over the cliff if the hoverlair moves is it?" Ron asked nervously as he set the brake.

"It shouldn't, I have the drum set for a two thousand pound breakaway, and your truck weighs a lot more than that," Wade replied. The hood opened a small device looking like a heavily modified harpoon gun rose up and fired at seemingly thin air. The harpoon shot out and hit an object about 50 feet out over the gorge, sticking to the side with a loud clang.

"Alright, let's go," Kim said seriously, her mission face on. They got out of the truck and put on harnesses before latching onto the rope. She looked at the two before swinging out over the gorge. "Be careful you two, it's a long way down."

Erik gulped and nodded, looking over the edge of the cliff before clipping on and following Kim out. Ron checked to make sure his pocket was securely closed. "You ready Rufus?" he asked. Rufus stuck out a paw and gave him a thumbs-up before retreating deep into the pocket for the ride. Ron swung out and shimmed out to the grapple waiting a little behind them.

Kim turned to face them and yelled in the wind whipping through the gorge. "They'll probably figure out we're here once we breach the hull. Ron, you know what to do. Erik, stick with Ron. I'll keep Shego busy."

Ron nodded his head; Erik looked a little annoyed, but nodded his head in agreement as well. Kim smiled and turned back to the hull, cutting through it below the grapple with her laser lipstick. A piece of steel became visible as it fell away from the hull, revealing a room beyond the hole.

"This is all sorts of weird," Ron yelled up at the strange sight. Kim nodded as she disconnected the harness and swung into the hole. She scanned the room and helped Erik and Ron in.

Kim grabbed her Kimmunicator and hit the call button. "Wade what can you tell me about this hoverlair, please and thank you?" she asked.

"I'm getting a lot of interference, so stay near the opening while I run a remote scan," Wade told her. Kim nodded at the screen and crouched near the hole while he started typing away furiously on his computer.

After a minute the Kimmunicator beeped and Kim brought the screen up to her face, "The interference limited what I could pick up on the scan," Wade told her. "But I can give you a rough layout of the hoverlair. It's a large disk with two large chambers in the center, one over the other. Each of the chambers seems to have several levels of satellite rooms running along the outer walls. Except for the power core, which is almost directly across from your current location, I can't tell what's in any of them. But, I am picking up weird energy reading close to the center of the upper chamber, so that's probably where you'll find Drakken."

Kim nodded at the screen again. "That will have to do. Thanks, Wade" she replied as she thumbed the device off.

* * *

Dr. Drakken chuckled madly in the main lair as he finished entering the launch vectors into the computer. The doors on the floor to the bay beneath them were open, the top of the rocket containing the snoozulator peeking up from below. In a few moments the atmospheric launch window would be at it's fullest and his satellite would be on it's way to assisting him in his goal of world domination.

"Oy, do you have to keep up that annoying chuckling?" Shego asked.

"It's my moment of triumph, allow me to bask in it Shego!" Dr. Drakken raved. "In a few moments my snoozulator will be on it's way to space and I will be one step closer to ruling the world!"

"Yeah, but why do we need to wear the stupid hats?" The henchmen and Drakken were wearing the triangular hats that children make from paper, only made from aluminum foil. Shego had fashioned a round-brimmed cowboy hat held on by a leather cord, there was no way she was sporting one of those other ones.

"To stop the snoozulator from affecting us Shego! And I'll have you know that that hat does not conform to regulations!" Drakken ranted.

"You mean that's all that was in Dementor's mask was tin foil? Like some alien abductee wackjob?" Shego asked.

"You can't argue with results Shego," Dr. Drakken stated, raising a finger into the air. An alarm on the main control console began to sound. "What is it now?! Dr. Drakken exclaimed, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side.

"It's saying we have a hull breach boss," flat-nose said.

"Naaahg," Drakken growled as he brought up security cameras for the area the alarm was sounding in. He saw a flash of red hair and then the bottom of a tennis shoe before the screen turned to static. "Kim Possible is here!" he screamed, wild-eyed. "Open the bay doors and prepare to launch! Shego, hold her off while I launch the snoozulator!"

Shego lit up her plasma as the doors to floor above the main lab burst open, admitting Team Possible to the balcony. Shego launched a few plasma bolts at them as Erik and Ron ran left towards the stairs down and Kim went right over the railing onto the crates. Shego blasted away at her, shattering crates and sending their contents flying. Kim dodged and closed with her and they began fighting hand to hand.

Ron and Erik raced down the steps to the lab floor as the launch doors began to open. Henchmen were flooding the area and Erik and Ron were forced into hand-to-hand fighting as well. The henchmen grinned as they rushed in but their grins turned quickly as the two young men started tearing through them.

Drakken looked up at the doors calmly as they inched their way open. He began wringing his hands together and paused before he suddenly yelled at the top of his voice to no one in particular, "Just a little while longer, we'll be launching in a moment!". Startled by his sudden outburst behavior, Kim looked towards Drakken and Shego used the distraction to strike, knocking Kim off of her feet.

"KP!" Ron yelled as she skidded to a halt. A particularly strong henchman used this moment to kick Ron in the chest, knocking him back into a stack of crates that were damaged from Shego's plasma blast. The crates tipped and began slide.

"Crap!" Shego muttered as she reached out her hands and blasted Ron full in the chest with a plasma bolt, launching him out from under the falling crates and into the henchmen. Kim kicked out and swept Shego's feet knocking her to the floor.

Drakken began cackling madly as the rumble of the rockets boosters filled the lab. The doors had opened fully and he had started the launch sequence. "At last! Not this time Kim Possible!" he gloated.

Kim looked up at the launch doors. "Erik, your grapple gun, hurry!" Kim yelled. Erik lobbed his grapple gun over to her as she pulled out her own. She fired at one of the beams overhead with both of them and tied off the gun ends to one of the balcony support beams. The rocket began lifting off and hit the grapple lines, throwing it off course just enough to clip the side of the launch doors. The rocket screeched through the metal, ripping out the grapple lines anchor points as it tore through. One of the rocket's boosters broke free and began to tumble through the air past them and into the bottom bay. Everyone ran screaming for cover as pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor. The booster hit bottom and exploded, sending up a plume of heat and smoke, as well as rocking the lair as it blew out the floor in the bay below.

Dr. Drakken picked himself off of the floor and howled in mad fury. Alarms sounded all around, warning of different system failures as the control boards threw up sparks and smoke. The cloaking mechanism was down and all remaining power was being diverted to maintaining altitude. Escape pods were launching in droves as his henchmen abandoned him in the face of another botched plan. _"Another plan foiled by that cheerleader!" _he fumed. Kim and Shego had picked themselves up and began fighting again. Ron, Erik and the remaining henchmen were picking themselves off of the floor, still a bit shell-shocked. Drakken growled as he slammed his hand down on the lair's self-destruct mechanism, only to have it fail to activate. It was damaged during the explosion. He began laughing wildly at the irony.

"Stop Drakken from getting away!" Kim yelled between blocking Shego's blows.

Erik was closer and began running towards Dr. Drakken, skirting the edge of the doors leading down in to the bay below. Drakken's laughter faded as he pulled out a ray gun, aimed it at Erik, and pulled the trigger. Erik felt his vision swim as the ray hit him. He teetered on the edge as the snoozulator ray took effect and he fell asleep, tumbling down the hole.

"Erik!" Kim screamed as Shego watched dumbfounded. They both ran to the edge of the floor as Drakken raced out of the lab cackling.

"I got him KP!" Ron yelled as he activated his blaster briefs and jumped through the doors. Erik tumbled end over end through the hole in the floor of the bay below. Ron caught up with him quickly and grabbed a hold of him, flying over to the truck and dropping him off before heading back towards the hoverlair.

"Come on Princess!" Shego exclaimed, grabbing a hold of the shocked woman. "We have to get off this thing and all the escape pods have launched." She dragged Kim towards the stairs. Kim trembled slightly as they ran down the steps to the hovercrafts in the bay below.

"Drakken," Kim stated as reached the bottom. He was trying to pull a piece of steel off of the hovercraft so he could launch.

"You weren't going to leave me here were you?" Shego asked in genuine surprise.

Dr. Drakken looked up and drew out his ray gun firing it at them both. Shego's hat, while crumpled from fighting, had managed to stay on, protecting her from the effects of the snoozulator ray that Dr. Drakken had made. "Let's go Shego," he said coldly as the Kim slumped to the floor. An explosion rocked the lair and it began to list. Kim's body slid towards the hole in the floor. Shego leapt at her as she slid out of the hover lair and managed to grab onto her. The ship rocked again and Shego found herself pulled out of the lair.

Ron was flying up towards the hole in the bottom of the ship when an explosion rocked it. A few seconds later Kim and Shego came tumbling out into him. He drew his grapple gun and fired up into the wreckage above him, hooking onto a pipe as he grabbed Shego's free wrist with his other hand. They dangled from the lair, 60 feet above the swirling rapids below.

"Reel us up Ron!" Shego yelled over the sound of the wind and cascading water.

Ron depressed the retract button on the grapple only to hear the clutches inside slipping. "We're too heavy!" he yelled back. The pipe above them began to bend a little under the combined weight of the three people. Ron focused his power into himself, his eyes filling with blue light. He grunted as he pulled Shego and Kim up higher. "Grab onto me and hold on!" Shego grabbed onto Ron's harness and he let go of her wrist, grabbing the rope above him and pulling them up a little. He held the rope and let go of the grapple gun and grabbed hold of Shego again. "Grab the grapple gun!" he yelled as the pipe bent a little more.

Shego grabbed the grapple gun and looked up at the bending pipe, ready to buckle. _"We're not going to make it,"_ she thought. She looked down past Kim's unconscious form to the swirling waters below.

"I'm sorry," Ron said softly as he looked at Shego. She looked back at him, seeing the sadness in his eyes. He leaned in close to her. "Close your eyes," he whispered.

Shego closed her eyes, and pursed her lips slightly, waiting for their first and, most likely, last kiss. They sprung open in surprise as the rope jostled and sprung up a little bit. "Ron!" she screamed as she watched him tumble toward the water. He activated the remaining boost out of his blaster briefs to slow his descent as he hit the water but he still hit hard and disappeared into the swirling rapids. Tears streamed down Shego's face as she activated the retractor on the grapple gun and pulled them back into the slowly sinking lair.

* * *

Dr. Drakken heard a scraping noise as Shego pulled herself and Kim back into the lair. "Ah, I see you made it Shego. Come over here and help me with the hover car, quickly!" he exclaimed frantically trying to pry off the metal it was stuck under with a pipe.

Shego carried Kim over and lay her down by the side of the hover car before heaving the piece of metal off of it. "Alright, let's go Dr. D." she said glumly, bending down to pick Kim up.

"Just a moment Shego. It's time to take care of a thorn that's been in my side for far too long." He stood over Kim and looked down at her for a second.

"Dr. D.?" Shego asked, her face screwed up in confusion.

He responded with a grunt, raising the pipe over his head in preparation for a viscous downward strike. The last thing he remembered was seeing a green light moving rapidly towards his face.

* * *

Author's Footnote: Can't say for sure when the next chapter will be ready, but I will try to keep the lag time down a bit better this time!


	20. Chapter 20: Parting Ways

Author's Notes: Finally, another chapter makes it's way onto . I would like to thank Ghostwhiter for betaing, it's helped alot. As usual, italicized text is active thought. I don't own Kim Possible or any characters associated, they are owned by Disney. 

* * *

The rope jostled as Ron let go of it, plunging towards the water below. He looked up for a split second to make sure they hadn't fallen with him. _"It looks like the bar held. Good," _he thought. Focusing on drawing in his power he looked down to the river. His eyes glowed slightly as he scanned the water with enhanced eyesight, looking for a deeper section to absorb his fall. He found what he was looking for, a channel between two large rocks, and used the last fuel in his blaster briefs to steer himself there. Even with the slight loss of momentum the rockets provided he still hit the water hard and plunged to the bottom of the river, smacking against the smooth rocks on the bottom. He fought the grayness, creeping into his vision from the impact as he was swept downstream by the powerful current. _"Must… reach… the surface!"_ he thought, scrambling frantically to grab onto one of the many boulders he was being swept past. Rufus popped out of his pocket and began trying to fight the current as well. Ron grabbed a hold of him before he could be swept away. Just as he thought his burning lungs would give out he was able to get his feet underneath him and push himself up to the surface. He held Rufus up out of the water as he gasped for air. He grazed a rock, spinning him around painfully, before turning so his feet were facing downstream to absorb the impact of any rocks jutting from the water. Downstream Ron noticed some scraggly trees growing out of the cracks in the cliff walls and overhanging the river; he steered himself towards them as best he could. "Here's where you go solo little buddy," he yelled over the sound of the rushing water. Ron tossed Rufus towards a clump of branches and tried to grab onto a rock he was passing.

"Ron!" Rufus squeaked in protest as he flew through the air towards a branch. He grasped the branch as it bent down towards the water a couple of feet, but well short of the water. Thinking quickly Rufus looked downstream to the other over hanging trees. _"Hnk, there!"_ he thought, spotting a branch hanging a little lower. He hopped from branch to branch with nimbleness that would have made a squirrel jealous while Ron was losing his grip on the rock. Rufus hopped onto the low hanging branch and ran to the tip bending it down nearly to the water just as Ron lost his grip on the rock and was swept towards it.

"Thanks little buddy," Ron gasped as he grabbed the thin branch, praying it would hold. The branch bent, pulling him behind another rock and out of the worst of the current. He tried to pull himself onto the rock, but stopped as the branch began to crackle. The riverbank sat a scant twenty feet away, but his body was exhausted from fighting to stay above the cold water and he knew that he wouldn't make it. _"I hope KP is doing better than I am right now," _he thought.

* * *

Kim shivered as she began to stir; the metal floor that she was laying on was cold. She opened her eyes a crack and sat up with a gasp as she saw the blue face of one Dr. Drakken, unconscious not a foot from her. Wind was blasting around her, and she saw Shego ahead of her, operating controls while standing. A beeping noise was coming from a screen mounted in a dashboard. _"We're in a hovercar, what happened?"_ Kim thought. She saw Shego check back on her, a worried look on her face.

Shego glanced back and saw that Kim was awake. "Get over here Kimmie and scan the water," Shego demanded. "Ron fell in from the hoverlair, we have to find him quick." She turned back to scan the water, letting out a small breath of relief when Kim rushed to her side to help look instead of trying to take her down.

"How long has he been in?" Kim asked worriedly as she looked around. "And what is that beeping?"

"He's been in the water for a couple of minutes," Shego answered. "The beeping is an incoming craft, probably Global Justice."

"Aren't you worried they'll take you in?" Kim asked.

"I'll worry about that once we find him," Shego snapped.

"Right," Kim nodded, scanning the water silently for a moment. "There, behind that rock!" Kim exclaimed as she caught a glimpse of blond hair amongst the rocks and rushing water.

"I'm on it!" Shego exclaimed as she sent the hovercraft into a dive towards the rocks. The gravatronic ray extended from the hull with a press of a button and Shego aimed carefully, plucking Ron from the rapids. She pulled the craft up and headed towards the cliff edge near Ron's truck, placing Ron on the grass with the tractor beam.

Ron was shivering, nearly numb from the cold water from the river. Erik rushed to his side and helped to hold him up, a little groggy from his own experience with the snoozulator. "He's freezing!" Erik yelled towards the two women.

Kim jumped out of the hovercraft just before Shego, who held up to grab an emergency blanket from one of the cargo holds and put the vehicle into 'hover'. They grabbed the blanket together and slid into it, wrapping Ron up with the two of them.

"We have to get these soaked clothes off of him and get him warmed up!" Shego exclaimed worriedly as she began stripping him of his clothes as Ron shook. Kim assisted.

"Erik, get the truck started and warmed up," Kim said even as she was pulling off Ron's top, still firmly in mission mode. Soon Ron was down to his boxers.

Shego used her comet-given abilities to raise her body temperature slightly and pressed her body up against Ron's. Kim joined her, sandwiching him between them. Kim and Shego both grimaced at having their arms wrapped around the other but let it pass considering the gravity of the situation.

The sound of a jet was heard and seconds later a GJ VTOL buzzed them, over shooting and turning around. The voice of the VTOL's pilot crackled over the radio in the hovercar. "This is Global Justice Agent Thompson. Put your hands up immediately and surrender yourselves."

Much to Team Possible and Shego's surprise the hovercraft took off, an angry looking Drakken at the controls. "We're through Shego!" he screamed over his shoulder, shaking his fist at her as the hovercraft veered wildly. It clipped a pine tree as it flew off, the VTOL in hot pursuit.

Several minutes of awkward silence later, broken only by the chattering of teeth, Ron began to come out of his cold-induced stupor. "Ruuuufuuuuss!" he stuttered as he shook. "He wa-was o-on the r-r-rock.."

"I'll get him," Shego said, stepping out of contact with Kim and Ron. She stepped up to the cliff edge and looked down before grabbing the rope, still hanging from the front of Ron's truck, with her gloved hands and sliding down.

Kim walked Ron over to the now-warm truck and they climbed in, still side by side. Erik was busying himself with packing up the equipment and trying not to get jealous. A few minutes later he heard a crackling from the woods behind them.

As Erik was checking out the crackling coming from the woods, Kim was checking Ron over for injuries now that he wasn't in danger of going into hypothermic shock. She looked over as Erik tapped on the window and pointed behind the truck. I contingent of GJ operatives had just pulled up in a humvee and were piling out, led by no other than Special Agent William Du.

* * *

Shego reached the bottom of the gorge and skipped from rock to rock along the bank of the rushing rapids. It took a few minutes, but she made it over to the area that they had found Ron in. She was startled when a pink blur scampered up her leg and immediately snuggled to her neck, pulling her hair around its body like a blanket and chattering. She felt Ron's pet's cold skin and the slight tremble of it shivering. "It'll be OK Ruffie," she said soothingly, cupping her hands around him for warmth. After a moment he warmed enough to stop shivering and she slipped him into the pocket on her calf and headed back to the truck.

Shego rounded the last bend in the river to see the rope that she used to get down the cliff shaking slightly. She looked up and saw several men in GJ uniform beginning their descent. A voice from the top of the cliff caught her attention.

Will Du stood at the top of the cliff, looking down with his hands on hips. "Shego, you will surrender immediately and submit yourself to Global Justice custody," he said with his usual arrogant tone.

"_It had to be him_,_"_ she thought, rolling her eyes, _"At least they didn't send someone competent."_ "Not today, Agent Duh!" Shego yelled with a look of contempt on her face. She fired a plasma bolt ten feet below the GJ operatives coming down, severing the rope and leaving them with a 30' drop if they wished to chase her. "Well, it's been fun, but I have to run," she sneered before running towards the downed hover lair. She used it for a bridge, as it spanned nearly the entire river. Her plasma and natural athleticism made scaling the cliff easy. Agent Du ground his teeth in frustration as Team Possible and the rest of the GJ operatives watched Shego disappear into the woods on the other side of the river.

* * *

Kim was driving Ron's truck to the hospital. "I'm fine KP," Ron stated as they zipped around a corner a little too fast, the inner wheels rising just a little off the ground. "But I won't be if you smash into something!"

"Amp down Ron, my driving is fine," Kim said with a tight smile.

"I don't see why I need to go to the hospital though, I'm fine," Ron stated.

"Then we should be right in and out," Kim stated, "No big, right?"

"Fine KP, but you and Erik are getting checked too," Ron stated, folding his arms across his chest.

"What for?" Erik asked, a little puzzled.

"You were both hit with some sort of funky ray," Ron said, turning his head to look at Kim. "Again."

"Hey it's not my fault that Drakken is obsessed with the things," Kim said, jumping the curb into the hospital parking lot, parking near the entrance. They made their way inside and were met by Mrs. Dr. P.

"Wade called ahead?" Ron asked.

"Yes Ronald," Mrs. Possible answered kindly. "Now let's get you to a room and have a look."

"Kim and Erik need a look too," Ron stated, "they were hit with some funky ray that made them lose consciousness."

"Ron!" Kim hollered in shock. "I can't believe you actually told on us!"

Erik grumbled a bit too.

"He's just looking out for you Kim," her mother stated, smiling at her and patting Ron on the shoulder. "If we couldn't trust you two to do that for each other than we wouldn't allow you to go on missions."

* * *

"Alright Ronald. The MRI on your spine came back normal so you can go home today," Mrs. Dr. Possible stated with a smile. "I scheduled an appointment with a massage therapist in Room 120 in a half an hour for the knots in your back."

"Thanks Mrs. Dr. P.," Ron stated, trying to stretch a little. "How are Kim and Erik?"

"They appear to be OK as well, though we're going to monitor them overnight just to be safe," she replied.

"You can never be to careful when dealing with mad science," Ron stated with a grin.

"They're in rooms 210 and 211 if you want to say hi before your appointment."

"Sure thing Mrs. Dr. P.," Ron stated, stepping forward and giving his second mother a hug before heading out of the room.

Green eyes that had arrived at the vent in the ceiling just as Mrs. Dr. Possible had entered the room to speak to Ron disappeared back into the darkness. _"It looks like I'll have to catch him in a half an hour then," _the woman thought to herself. She slipped through the vents, stopping above a storage room and dropping down inside. A few moments of searching later and the woman pulled a set of nurse's scrubs off of a shelf and slipped into them. She listened at the door for a moment and, satisfied no one was around, stepped into the hallway, heading to room 120.

After a quick stop in to chat with Kim and Erik, Ron headed to room 120 for his appointment. He shook his head with a grin at Kim and Erik's faces as he informed them that he was getting a massage and heading home while they had to stay the night under observation. He reached the room and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" a muffled voice called from in the room. Ron opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. The room was sparsely furnished, just a padded table with a face rest on the end, a few plants and a table with bottles of oil and a small cd player. There was also a closed doorway leading to another room, where the voice likely came from. "Please disrobe down to your underwear and lie facedown on the table," the muffled voice commanded.

"OK, I'll let you know when I'm ready," Ron stated loudly at the doorway. He stripped down to his boxers, tossing his clothing in a pile in the corner. "Alright, I'm ready!" he stated, relaxing into the table.

"I'll be right out!" the muffled voice stated. She switched out the spiked coffee cup that she had brought the massage therapist with another and made sure that they wouldn't slip out of the chair in front of their desk. They would wake up in a couple of hours. She then attached the belt around her waist before stepping into the room. She walked over to the CD player and started it up, soft sounds of soothing music sounded in the room. Massage oil filled her hands as she stepped over to the table and began rubbing it into his back, working at the knots. After working on his back for a while she moved to his arms.

Ron sighed in contentment, the pain from the knotted muscles was subsiding and a warm tingle flowed across his skin. He opened his eyes as the massage therapist stepping in front of him to work on his shoulders and neck. His body tensed and his eye shot open in surprise as he saw the hospital slippers below him, his eyes following up to the pale green-tinged skin on the ankles. "Susan?" he asked.

"Yeah sport?" Shego purred, working the oil into his skin, her hands tingling with the slightest of plasma energy. "You really need to relax if this is going to do you any good," she stated still rubbing.

"Is Rufus OK?" he asked, starting to sit up.

Shego pushed down gently on his shoulders. "He's fine," she stated. "He's in the other room sleeping off an overdose of Bueno Nacho. Now let me finish here."

Ron relaxed back into the cushions, enjoying the massage. "That feels wonderful," he stated. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just applying a little heat," Shego stated with a grin. "Now turn over so I can get your front." Ron rolled over and she put a towel over his waist before working on his chest, legs, and arms.

Ron broke the silence after a few moments. "What's going to happen now?" he asked as she finished up his massage.

She swatted him on the chest, "That's it, I don't give 'happy endings'."

He flushed in embarrassment. "That's not what I meant," he stated, waving his hands in front of him. "I meant I don't think your going to work for Drakken again, so what are you going to do"

She stood looking down at him for a moment. "I don't know yet," she stated shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, I have a lot of money in numbered accounts, enough to live comfortably for a long, long time. But I don't think I'm ready to retire quite yet, I'm only 17 after all," she stated with a laugh.

Ron sat up, looking at Shego. "You could always stay in Middleton. Not too many people even know that you've been 'rejuvinated' so you could blend in, you know, start over?"

"You think too much Tiger," Shego stated with a sad smile. "How about for now we just settle for dinner at Bueno Nacho?"

"Alright you've convinced me," Ron stated, breaking into a smile.

"Next time don't make me try so hard," Shego said with a grin, rolling her eyes. "I'll get Rufus while you get dressed," Shego stated before leaving the room.

They drove to the mall; Shego needed clothes besides the scrubs she was currently in. After shopping for an outfit, that consequently made Ron's jaw drop, they hit the Bueno Nacho Express. Rufus was nearly in a cheese-induced coma, but was still able to pack away one more Naco. After some small talk about what had been going on for the past week Ron decided it was time to get to the point.

"So where are you going from here?" Ron asked, fidgeting a little bit.

"I have to leave for a while," she stated, looking away.

"Are you going to work for Dementor or something?"

"Nah," she scoffed. "If I do any more villainy it will be for myself, and it won't be some stupid rule the world scheme. I mean who has the energy to rule the world? Even when you tried out evil you were only after 'the world's supply of nacos'," she stated, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Ugh, don't remind me of Zorpox, the attitudinator is just sick and wrong," Ron said with a frown. Shego couldn't hold the laughter in on that one, Ron just looked at her blankly as the giggle-fit subsided. "Are you done now?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Ut oh."

"What oh?" Ron asked turning around. His face went a little white as he saw his nemesis walking through the food court.

"Stoppable!" Mr. Barkin called out as he walked over. "Weren't we just going over the importance of eating right in health class?"

"Yes Mr. B.," Ron said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"See that you do," Barking stated solemnly. "Goldstein," he said, nodding his head to Shego before walking away.

Shego wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I do really have to be going though Ron, GJ will be keeping an eye on the area," she stated, getting up.

"Will you ever be back?" he asked standing as well.

She turned to him with a smirk, "Oh you haven't seen the last of me Ron Stoppable." She stepped in and gave him a peck on the cheek before turning and disappearing into the crowd, leaving Ron with a stunned grin on his face.

"Ah Booyah!" rang out through the mall a moment later.

* * *

"Agent Spade, what took you so long to report?" Dr. Director asked, speaking in person to the illusive agent.

Agent Spade looked back at Dr. Director and looked away, seemingly bored, although her heart was pounding. This woman held her very freedom in her hands, but she wouldn't kowtow to her. "I got here as quickly as was convenient," she stated evenly.

Dr. Director dropped a packet of orders in front of Agent Spade. "We are pulling the plug on Drakken, he is getting too dangerous to just monitor. We have the Intel you gathered on the backup base in the Rockies, we will give Drakken's lackeys until Sunday evening to gather before we make our strike and bring them in. You will be working with Agent Du."

Agent Spade rolled her eyes. "Agent Du? That'll be fun." Dr. Director raised an eyebrow while Agent Spade continued, "But we should wait until Monday morning to strike. Some of the henchmen are bound to not show up until then, considering they usually get Sundays off."

"Duly noted," Dr. Director stated. "Agent Du will assemble the strike teams, you fill out your report on this last fiasco and get some rest. You'll be needing it these next few weeks as we secure all of Drakken's assets."

* * *

Ron waited at the airport; the last few weeks of school were hectic, filled with finals, pep rallies, and the occasional party. Ron partook in all of them to a degree, in between time spent training and hanging out with Kim and his other friends. Erik was starting to warm up to him as evidenced by the handshake Ron was now receiving. The few missions that had crept up over the past weeks helped the two to bond a little and accept each other.

"Have fun at summer school," Erik said with a grin as they shook up.

"Oh, that's how it's going to be!" Ron said back with a smile. "You two be careful on any missions that come up, remember Erik, distraction."

"And you be careful with that Yori girl, she looks like quite the handful," Erik riposted.

"Erik!" Kim exclaimed, socking him in the shoulder before giving Ron a hug. "I'll miss you Ron."

"I'll miss you too KP!" Ron said, returning the hug.

Rufus scampered up to his shoulder and gave Kim's face a hug. "Bye, bye!" he squeaked, receiving a peck on the head from Kim.

"Last call for flight 627 to LAX," sounded over the intercom.

"Alright, see you guys later this summer," Ron said with a wave.

"Bye Ron," Erik and Kim said together.

"Jinx, you guys owe me a soda!" Ron exclaimed a second later. "I can't believe I finally got one!" Ron stated as he disappeared up the ramp.

"You let him win didn't you Kim?" Erik asked with a grin.

"Muwa?" Kim said in mock outrage. They turned and left for home as Ron made his way to Japan.

* * *

Authors footnote: I know I said this before, but there won't be as long of a wait until the next chapter. In fact I already have the first 1000 words typed up.


End file.
